Businessman Joseph Aramanda, testifying under a letter of immunity, said Springfield lobbyist and onetime National Republican Committeeman Bob Kjellander was "very receptive," to loaning him the money so Aramanda could build up his pizza franchises. Prosecutors appear to be trying to link money that was in Aramanda's account to earlier testimony, which indicated that more than half a million dollars was routed through Kjellander from a state pension bond deal and eventually was to be divvied up between Rezko, Blagojevich and two other associates. ... "Did he ask for financial records?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Niewoehner asked... Aramanda planned to use the money to rebuild a pizza business which he'd bought from Rezko. Instead, Aramanda testified that once Rezko helped arrange for the loan, he turned around and demanded the money. Aramanda said Rezko forced him to use the money to settle a $475,000 debt Aramanda still owed Rezko from Aramanda's pizza franchise purchase. Aramanda ended up paying $461,000 to people to whom Rezko owed money, he said. He said he used the rest of the money to try to help his pizza restaurants stay afloat. Then, in April 2004, Kjellander called Aramanda wanting the one-year loan repaid early ... Rezko arranged for another loan to him -- from Jay Wilton, a California developer who'd recently been awarded a deal to operate oases for the Illinois Tollway. Wilton also was a major Blagojevich campaign contributor. Aramanda used the Wilton loan to repay Kjellander the $600,000, plus another $24,000, which was presumably interest... Aramanda, however, didn't testify during Rezko's 2008 trial, in which Rezko was found guilty... Now he's cooperating with the prosecution, and is walking jurors through a complicated "follow the money" scenario that shows how a $10 billion state pension borrowing deal was designed to put money in Rezko's pocket -- money that Rezko allegedly had planned to share with Blagojevich and others. In summer 2003, the state of Illinois sold $10 billion in bonds on one day to help prop up its financially struggling retirement systems. Bear Stearns, a now-defunct investment banking firm, was the lead underwriter. Kjellander was a Bear Stearns lobbyist who made $809,000 in a fee off the mammoth bond deal... Kjellander has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
There is no difference between Repunlican and Democrats in CHicago...They’re all controlled by the same people. Infact there is even a name for the GOP, but for the life of me I can’t remember it at this time.
It’s all pay to play.
Yep .. and apparently it’s true. John Kass
has been describing the insidiousness of
the IL Combine collection of thugs from both
parties for a very long time.
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Obama and the MSM Define Bipartisan the Chicago Way: It’s ‘the Combine’
Excerpt:
Think the Chicago Way political machine is all about corrupt Democrat politicians and their cronies? Think again. It’s bipartisan. While Democrats have run the Machine out of Chicago for decades, a supporting cast of Republicans has long participated in Machine enterprises.
Chicago Tribune reporter John Kass uses the term, “the Combine” to refer to the combination of Illinois Republicans working with Democrats to make hay for themselves regardless of who’s driving the tractor. As Republican power-broker Bill Cellini once said,
When we’re in [Republicans], we’re in. And when you’re in [Democrats], we’re in.
http://bigjournalism.com/tag/john-kass/