How's that transition thingy working out Rahim?
Posted on 12/12/2008 9:31:32 PM PST by BAW
The revelation does not suggest Obama's new gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat. But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat?
Blagojevich and John Harris, his former chief of staff, face federal charges in an alleged shakedown involving the vacant Senate seat, which Illinois law grants the governor sole authority to fill.
Obama said Thursday he had never spoken to Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy and was "confident that no representatives" of his had engaged in any dealmaking over the seat with the governor or his team. He also pledged Thursday that in the "next few days" he would explain what contacts his staff may have had with the governor's office about the Senate vacancy.
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One source confirmed that communications between Emanuel and the Blagojevich administration were captured on court-approved wiretaps.
Another source said that contact between the Obama camp and the governor's administration regarding the Senate seat began the Saturday before the Nov. 4 election, when Emanuel made a call to the cell phone of Harris. The conversation took place around the same time press reports surfaced about Emanuel being approached about taking the high-level White House post should Obama win.
Emanuel delivered a list of candidates who would be "acceptable" to Obama, the source said. On the list were Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Illinois Veterans Affairs director Tammy Duckworth, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Chicago, the source said. All are Democrats.
Sometime after the election, Emanuel called Harris back to add the name of Democratic Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan to the approved list, the source said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
How's that transition thingy working out Rahim?
If true this means that Obama did indeed lie. Is Obama really going to push the line that he did not know anything about this and that Emanuel was acting as a lone cowboy, unauthorized to make such a declaration?
If Emanuel is caught on tape stating a list of candidates that Obama directly approved of then Obama is in big do-do. Not to mention the fact that Obama and Emanuel knew there was pay-to-play scheme put forth by Blago and they did nothing about it.
We the People, Pick the Senate Seats . . .and there is a REASON WHY....REPRESENTATION of the People by the Senator elect.
We’re forgitin Fundamentals here, folks. Senators represent Citizens, not Governor’s inlaws, Lobbyists, Wives, or the Highest Bidder on E-Bay.
No wonder Americans are buying GUNS and Ammo. We have Crooks volunteering as Targets.
Somebody with knowledge of the law please help answer this:
If Obama and his team knew of the senate seat sale through discussions with Blago and did not blow the whistle on it, what is the crime and penalty?
"That's not the Bill Ayers I knew."
"That's not the Rod Blagojevich I knew."
"That's not the Rahm Emmanual I knew."
"That's not the ____________ I knew."
Harris has resigned, so he must be spilling the beans to Fitz. Rahm Emanuel must not be sleeping well right now. Bet Obama isn’t enjoying life right now, either.
I am ignorant of the law in these cases, so help me out a bit -
Is it illegal for Obama to suggest appointees to the Governor of Illinois, if there is no hint of payment or other personal compensation in the communication ? It seems to me that on the face of it that is innocuous.
The fact that Emanuel and others have spent the last few days denying that the communicated with the Governor is of course grounds for believing that even they believed that this was inappropriate, but I can’t figure out why. That, or some illegal deal was offered.
Then Rahm needs to say buh-bye-Bama.
If Obama’s peopele had not been discussing something illegal with th Blog, they would not have tried to hide the fact that they discussed potential candidates with the Blog.
Corruptness of the highest degree...absolutely...
The very question that the LMSM is ignoring at all costs.
I don’t think Blago was given a single penny or guaranteed a single DC job out of this discussion. This is what I find unusual about this entire deal. He kept telling them what he wanted and they just kept talking. Blago appears to have gotten very testy and upset over the “talks”. But so far, I haven’t seen anything that would get you serious jailtime. You have to accept something of value....to make this illegal act work.
I’d say Rahm is a bit forked here. He has already resigned from the House and ma soon be too damaged of goods to be part of the Obama Administration. I guess that might make him citizen Emmanuel.
Originally Senators were supposed to be representatives of state governments to the federal government chosen by the legislatures. It wasn't until 1913 that the 17th ammendment provided for direct election of senators, with the exception,
"When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct."
My guess is a few vacancies were probably sold to the highest bidder back in 1913 too.
I think Presidential Advisor A (Rahim) and Advisor B offered Blago a package deal that didn’t have any upfront money like JJJ was promising.
It’s not that Obama’s people walked away from Blago, it’s that they were outbid by JJJ and his minions.
Again, what the real crime (that I admittedly still can not define) that Obama and Co. may have commited is not dropping a dime on Blago and his firesale. Something to the tune obstruction of justice.
The people who voted for the 0bamunist KNEW he was a liar (I didn’t know Wright was a racist, hate America mongerer, etc.) when they voted for him and did not care. They will still support him NO MATTER WHAT.
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