Gamechanger? Indications that it was the Obama Team that approached Blagojevich to make a deal.

Chicago Sun-Times (Transcript) ^ | December 9, 2008 | MissTickly

[MissTickly]

Patrick Fitzgerald seems to indicate that Obama’s team approached Blaogjevich!

I noticed this as I was reading the transcript of Fitzgerald's comments at the press conference. Below is a quote from that event that I've not heard mentioned anywhere. After Fitzgerald details the events around the Valerie Jarrett portion of the pay-for-play scheming with the Obama people, he then goes on to say this about Jesse Jackson Jr. approaching Blagojevich with another deal:

—- “What I should also talk about is that, in another event, SOMEBODY ELSE APPROACHED THE GOVERNOR [emphasis mine]. And the governor’s understanding of this approach was that in exchange for an appointment, to the Senate seat, he would receive campaign contributions. And the government’s view of what was told, to him, through intermediaries was that, quote, “We were approached pay-to-play that, you know, he raised me 500 grand. Then the other guy would raise a million if I made him senator,” close quote.” —

SOMEBODY ELSE APPROACHED THE GOVERNOR??

Unless there were yet another set of people that were trying to make deals, it sounds like the Obama people CAME TO BLAGOJEVICH with this plan as did Jesse Jackson Jr.

[Matchett-PI]

Why hasn’t BO been arrested yet?:

December 14, 2008 9:30 AM
Defense Lawyers Assess Case Against Blagojevich
Posted by Brian Baxter
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2008/12/defense-lawyers.html

Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is an old hand at political corruption trials. The initial evidence he’s brought against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appears to be overwhelming. [snip]

Comments:

Here are the facts linking Obama to Blagojevich, in a letter I sent to Patrick Fitzgerald.

Dear Mr. Fitzgerald:

Today you told the press, in connection with the Blagojevich arrest, “We were in the middle of a corruption crime spree and we wanted to stop it.” And yet most of the complaint is based on evidence you have had for a number of years. In other words, if the matter concerning the appointment of a Senator were removed, you would still have had enough evidence to indict Blagojevich. In fact, the complaint shows that you have enough evidence for a number of years.

This means that you and no one else, allowed Blagojevich to continue on a “crime spree” long after you had enough evidence to arrest him. Indeed, he would never have gotten to the point at which he was about to sell a Senate seat, if you had arrested him earlier. Why did you not do so? Why did you allow him to commit more crimes?

And now you are about to show the same negligence again. You are apparently about to make the same mistake with regard to Barack Obama. As you probably know, Evelyn Pringle has published detailed online articles concerning Obama’s participation in “Operation Board Games” crimes. Below, I reproduce paragraphs from your own Blagojevich complaint, and after them, a section from the Pringle Obama articles dealing with precisely the same facts as the complaint.

Her articles show in detail that Obama has committed the same 18 USC 1346 crimes you discuss in your Blagojevich complaint. And yet he has not yet been arrested. Why not?

Just as you allowed Blagojevich to get to the point where he was about to sell a United States Senate seat, so you allowed Obama to be elected President, and apparently you are willing to let him continue his own crime spree by actually becoming President.

It was irresponsible for you to continue to allow Blagojevich to continue in office when you had enough evidence to arrest him, and it is irresponsible of you now to allow Obama to continue in office and become President, when you have enough evidence to arrest him.

Arrest Obama now. It is irresponsible of you to wait any longer.

Sincerely yours,
John Ryskamp

Comment By John Ryskamp - December 14, 2008 at 12:11 PM

bttt

[saganite]

So, unless Fitzmas can entrap Rahm or Barry into committing perjury they’re in the clear. After all, that’s the only thing Scooter got nailed with.

[twigs]

I take it he wants to keep his job after the the inauguration?

[Condor51]

No offense but you're behind the curve and off base here.

It was Jesse Jackson Jr's 'people' who approached Blago. That 'people' was either one of his brothers or dear old Dad, Jesse Jagmo Sr. This has all been reported.

Plus JJ Jr held a presser on this and cried and admitted he was Candidate #5 of the tapes. AND dear old Daddy hired a Criminal Defense Lawyer.

Btw, there is nothing illegal about Barry or 'his people' talking to Blago about a favored replacement. You can bet the rent Hillary and Biden are doing it too. And all of Barry's picks who now are lected to an office. If there's no quid pro quo, it is absolutely 100% legal.

[Osage Orange]

Well, that's a point.....

[Sorry screen name in use]

“Can a president pardon himself?”

This is hilarious.. it would go something like this...uh pardon me.... while I move on out.

[BILL_C]

Can a president pardon himself?

Even Nixon couldn’t pull that off.

[Republic of Texas]

There’s nothing wrong with Obama calling Blago to tell him who he thinks should fill the seat. As long as it never went beyond a friendly suggestion...

[Joan Kerrey]

Immanuel is not a target of the investigation
___________________________
“target” is the key word here. It doesn’t mean he won’t be caught up in the scandal later and it doesn’t mean he or Jesse & others are clean. Jesse Jr. isn’t the “target” either, so we’ve been told, but just wait there is more to come hopefully. I hope there is heavy pressure on the MSM to not bury the story. Demand coverage, demand answers and challenge them to investigate and report.

[dbacks]

Of course Obama’s people would suggest a replacement. I would be very disappointed if they had not And that is totally legal. Unless they offered or were asked to pay to play. Then they would have an obligation to report a crime. And I would excuse them if they didn't act immediately as until some overt act to the end of the crime occurred, no crime occurred

[ml/nj]

This guys term as president will make Nixons look like a college prank.

Let's not forget that the Clintons never owned a home before they got to Washington and held their "coffees" and dispensed their pardons. Now they are wealthy beyond their wildest schemes; and we're supposed to believe that nearly all of that money came from people who just happened to want to hear the Slickster speak.

ML/NJ

[Joan Kerrey]

This is going nowhere. Even Blago seems confident it is going nowhere.
______________________
He’s got too many enemies. It’ll go somewhere but I agree that there will be a frenzy of protection around Obama himself. Someone else will fall, just how high up is the question.

[saganite]

I wonder if there would be any blowback for Obama if he got rid of Fitz the way Clinton got rid of the Federal Prosecuter looking into Whitewater by firing all the FDA’s and explaining he wanted a fresh start?

[McGruff]

Welcome to Free Republic.

[No Truce With Kings]

The answer is that yes, the President’s power of pardon allows this. However, the power of pardon extends only to *criminal* activities. Impeachment is a political, not a criminal process. Hence, even if a President pardoned himself for the bill of indictment in an impeachment, it would only affect criminal penalties for the underlying act, not removal from office.

Remember, Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton were not subject to criminal sanction under their bills of impeachment — only removal from office. Any jail time would have had to result from a future criminal trial, regardless of whether the Senate convicted them on the bill of impeachment.

Note that no President, even Nixon, has ever issued a pardon to himself. But that is because they do not wish to admit wrongdoing, and are willing to bet that no criminal charges will follow their exit from office, not because there is any Constitutional bar from their doing so.

[griswold3]

How did Blago ‘know’ that the Obama transition team only offered ‘appreciation’ for their perfered pic for Obama’s senate seat?

[Joan Kerrey]

The person was probably a JJJ supporter, not directly employed by or tied to JJJ.
____________________
Wasn’t there actually a fundraiser that took place shortly after the Governor was approached by a group of influentials from the Indian community who have consistently backed JJJ? Seems strange that the meeting took place and shortly after a fundraiser took place.

[FastCoyote]

[We may not need the COLB issue!]

Even better, it might pop out of BlagoGate because some of those people must know.

[Bitsy]

We could take this country back very quickly if we could break the liberal stranglehold on the MSM.

I don't see how. Colleges have been spitting out these leftist Koolade drinking morons like birthing rabbits. They follow and believe the leftist BS they're brain washed with. Democracy and republic are two EVIL words and MSM truly believes a socialistic government will be the utopia they have longed for. Of course, they don't take into consideration when the gov. takes over the channels there won't be a need for all those reporters/pseudo journalists.

[twigs]

I think so. Even though the MSM is in the tank for him, some are wondering aloud that they really don’t know that much about him. If he starts to show signs of lying and corruption, they stand to be blamed for not doing their homework. Even though it’s CYA for them, that is significant. If he gets rid of Fitz, that would raise red flags, I think.