Sestak Case Puts Rahm Emanuel's Bare-Knuckled Politics Back in Spotlight

Fox News ^ | 5/29/2010

[markomalley]

The White House official behind the controversial offer to Rep. Joe Sestak is no stranger to hard-nosed political horse trading.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who enlisted the help of his former boss Bill Clinton to approach a congressman about sitting out a Senate primary race, has been involved in several political controversies during his 20-year-plus career in Washington. And the current controversy is only the latest for Emanuel in the past 16 months, since he joined the Obama administration.

In the first days of the Obama administration, Emanuel admitted to talking to then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the type of person who should replace the president in the Senate. Blagojevich later was ousted amid a federal corruption investigation that included an accusation that he schemed to benefit by selling Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder, though no one in the Obama administration was implicated.

Emanuel said he never got the impression that Blagojevich wanted anything improper in return for naming a replacement.

Earlier this year, Emanuel was called the "son of the devil's spawn," by former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned this year amid an ethics investigation into accusations that he sexually harassed his male aides.

"He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote," Massa said on a radio show. "He would strap his children to a front end of steam locomotive."

Illustrating his point, he told the story of how he wound up in an argument with the chief of staff while they were both naked in the congressional gym showers.

[JohnLongIsland]

c o v e r u p

[Ann Archy]

The CHICAGO WAY!!

[stephenjohnbanker]

Obama and his thugs didn’t think this one out. They must have panicked.

Inducement in elections is a crime..pay or no pay.

[Crawdad]

How long has Emanuel been in Israel?

[Ann Archy]

No kidding!!! They think the media is STUPID BATHWATER DRINKERS and thought they would just say “OKAY”.

[pepsionice]

With the 2010 election period underway...this was the absolutely wrong time for this “story” to come up. While the big boys (MSNBC and CNN) may continue to hold to this story...I suspect newspapers will start to question it and anchor up with Fox News.

Someone will eventually say (whether true or not) that Hillary was either given money to pay off campaign debt or guaranteed the VP slot in 2012, as part of Bill getting into this deal. Then this entire story becomes a heavy problem for the build-up for the November election.

The end result? Joe can’t win the senate race in November, period. Another couple percent of moderate democratic voters are going to walk away from the party by November. And an independent counsel will be demanded almost daily for the next 100 days (no, don’t anticipate the President to agree on that, and if he does...it’s some guy from Illinois).

Lesson learned? For anyone walking into the White House...the last thing on your mind is state-by-state political posturing by the White House team. Focus on national policy and international relations...nothing more.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Right now, Rep. Darrell Issa is the pit bull, with a firm grip on Obama’s neck. This could get very interesting.

[BushCountry]

I posted this on another thread, but it is too funny not to post about the incompetence of the Obama administration's response to Sestak-Gate.

Obama's problem is that he gave a detailed accounting of what supposedly happened. Issued a through, highly detailed accounting of what happened (barf) after months of research by his crack legal team.

Turns out the offer was for an unpaid appointment to the President's Intelligence Oversight Board. He looked the American People in the eyes and lied. Funny thing is that Congressman Sestak is not eligible for the position they cooked up since he is a federal employee.

____________________________________________

White House Website

About the PIAB

The Board consists of not more than 16 members appointed by the President from among individuals who are not employed by the Federal Government. Members are distinguished citizens selected from the national security, political, academic, and private sectors. The Board is a nonpartisan body, independent of the Intelligence Community, free from day-to-day management or operational responsibilities, and with full access to the complete range of intelligence-related information.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Notice Rahm Immanuel was out of the country, when Obama dumped this on a holiday weekend.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” Turns out the offer was for an unpaid appointment to the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board. He looked the American People in the eyes and lied. Funny thing is that Congressman Sestak is not eligible for the position they cooked up since he is a federal employee. “

I didn’t know this.....

ROTFLOL!!

[Liz]

This is so phony---a contrivance to save the *** of desperate Dems: Sestak Case Puts Rahm Emanuel's Bare-Knuckled Politics Back in Spotlight

My only hope is the Obama mob-----Rahm, Axelrod and Valerie-----will once again come before the cameras to put on their "Who me? I'm harmless" act.

The "harmless act" came after years of practice in the political killing fields of Chicago.

Course, it really makes my day---when these thugs are on-camera, looking coy and innocent-----assuring America that their hidden thuggery is "harmless." A real laugh-a-thon.

"Hey, Dave, nice job. We duped America into thinking we are "harmless."

======================================

REFERENCE Hugh Hewitt reported (edited): few people know Axelrod’s name.....and that he has arranged to pocket funds from his Chicago PR firm. Axelrod will suckup $2 million dollars (that we know of) over the next years.....while employed as a senior advisor to Pres Obama, and being paid by taxpayers.

Reminiscent of Rahm's lucrative deal with Goldman Sachs while working for Clinton.

Did Axelrod knowingly or unknowingly break the law in striking the Chicago deal? Participating in negotiations with people or entities that directly or indirectly sent cash to his former PR firm to produce and air ads pushing O/care.

Axelrod’s son works at his old firm. A full inspection of the situation will require Axelrod’s son to disclose his and his father's compensation arrangements, and whether or not the son has any surreptious financial obligations to the father.

Money laundering, anyone?

[maggief]

The Chicago Way, AKA Crime, Inc.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/04/obama_advisor_david_axelrod_se.html

Of his haul from AKP&D, Axelrod earned $896,776 in salary and another $500,000 from his cut as a partner. The Obama campaign was AKP&D’s main client during the presidential cycle.

While working basically round the clock on the Obama campaign, Axelrod’s partnership check from ASK totaled $151,914.

The disclosures, required of all top level White House staff, also reveal for the first time, ASK Public Strategies clients, including the Chicago 2016 Committee, vice chaired by Valerie Jarrett, now a top White House advisor; the University of Chicago Medical Center, where First Lady Michelle Obama worked as a vice president and the Chicago Children’s Museum, promoted by Mayor Daley.

Obama sponsored a $1 million earmark in 2007 to help build the Children’s Museum in Grant Park; a project facing opposition over the question of whether it was appropriate use of downtown park land.

Axelrod’s ASK buyout deal calls for five annual installments of $200,000 starting next December 31. AKP&D’s stock purchase deal also begins at the end of the year and calls for annual payments of $350,000, $650,000, $400,000 and $600,000.

Axelrod transferred interests in a documentary film production company called Franklin Street Productions (the street where the Axelrod firms are located) to his wife, Susan on March 9. The company, listed as dormant, was founded in 2002.

ASK Public Strategies Clients

Alliance to Protect the Illinois Constitution

The Art Institute

AT&T

Bally Total Fitness Corp.

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Chicago 2016 Committee

Chicago Children’s Museum

Civic Committee Foundation

Comcast

Commonwealth Edison Company

Consumers Organized for Reliable Energy

Exelon

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association

Media Rights Capital II

Motion Picture Association of America

University of Chicago Medical Center

//

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/politics/04emanuel.html?pagewanted=all

Mr. Emanuel’s biggest transaction came in late 1999 when he landed an advisory role for Wasserstein in the $8.2 billion merger of two utility companies, Unicom, the parent company of Commonwealth Edison, and Peco Energy, to create Exelon, now one of the nation’s largest power companies.

[mono]

....end result, Joe cant win in November.....

Maybe so, but remember this is Pennsylvania. He just took over lead in latest poll.

[stephenjohnbanker]

The new “Green” economy.

[Oceander]

[Liz]

Nice work---thanks.

================================================

ALL IN THE FAMILY Axelrod’s son works at his old PR firm. A full investigation will require Axelrod’s son to disclose his and his father's compensation arrangements, and whether or not the son has any surreptious financial obligations to the father.

Would also include Axelrod's documentary film production company----Franklin Street Productions--transferred to his wife, Susan, on March 9. That company, listed as dormant, was founded in 2002.

==================================

Wall Street Rahm’s biggest transaction came in late 1999 when he landed an advisory role for Wasserstein in the $8.2 billion merger of two utility companies, Unicom, the parent company of Commonwealth Edison, and Peco Energy, to create Exelon, now one of the nation’s largest power companies.....Axelrod's PR firm was also in on the deal.

Remember that Rahm took control of Treasury when he got the COS job. I wonder how many suitcases the Emanuel family took to Israel----the only place in the world one can debark, go to a bank with a suitcase full of cash, and nobody asks where it came from or if taxes were paid on it (stolen money is taxable).

=========================================

These thieves have their filthy hands in the US Treasury......the Ovomitons lied and lied about the $700 Billion TARP bailout----the actual bailout figure was $14 Trillion.

HOW DID GANGSTER GOVERNMENT SCAM $14 TRILLION? HERE'S HOW (the Madoff MO): Creating a labyrinth of interrelated international funds, institutions and financial entities of almost unparalleled complexity and breadth......with assets and businesses in multiple places overseas that hid thievery, money launderering, and tax evasion.

At least half a dozen Ovomoitons are going to walk away from “ Public Service “ living like the Sultan of Brunei......and we can name them all without even breaking a sweat.

[smalltownslick]

Now that he should be back in Chicago from his photo op in Louisiana, has Obama been spotted? Anyone know what he’s up to now?

[stephenjohnbanker]

Paul McCartney concert?

Scammin with Bill Ayers?

Who knows?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Liz, and well said.