Posted on 06/22/2010 4:33:16 PM PDT by STARWISE
On another tape just played by prosecutors, Rod Blagojevich is heard talking to John Harris over the phone on Nov. 3, 2008 -- the day before the election.
They are discussing how Barack Obama is sending two representatives -- union leaders Tom Balanoff and Andy Stern -- to visit to talk about Valerie Jarrett.
"Do they think I would just appoint Valerie Jarrett for nothing?" Blagojevich is heard saying of the Obama camp. "Just to make it happen?"
Judge Zagel has called a one-hour break for lunch. Court will reconvene at 1:30 p.m.
Prosecutors are playing another phone call between onetime chief of staff John Harris and then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Harris is heard coaching Blagojevich on what to say in an upcoming meeting with union leader and Democratic fund-raiser Tom Balanoff.
Balanoff had told Blagojevich he wanted to meet again to discuss Valerie Jarrett for the Senate seat. Jarrett, now a top White House adviser, was a close friend of then President-Elect Obama.
Blagojevich tells Harris that Balanoff told him: "I talked to Barack about the Senate seat, can I come and see you."
Blagojevich continues: "OK, he'll be explicit."
Harris says to tell Balanoff: "How do we take care of the president-elect's issues as well as the people of Illinois."
Blagojevich: "As well as me. Do I say that?"
Harris says that Blagojevich needs to convey that he needs to make sure he "stays strong" in the governorship.
Blagojevich: "But I don't want that."
Blagojevich: "Do I say me?" The objective is to get a good gig over there," Blagojevich says about his negotiation with Balanoff.
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Cute .. Andy Stern, his SEIU thug buddy .. who always seems to be in the middle of Swamp happenings, and local Chicago SEIU leader, Tom Balanoff. Interestingly, Stern's's been appointed to the board of a pharma that makes anti-bio-warfare pathogens.
Since they NEVER do anything without ulterior motives, should be intriguing to see what horrors this portends for our future from Crime Inc.
~~~~~~~~~
Stern in April retired as president of the powerful Service Employees International Union, citing personal reasons. Stern, who had served as SEIU president for 14 years, is credited with adding 1.2 million members during a time when overall unionization rates continued to plunge in the U.S.
The union also became a potent political force in Washington during his tenure. Stern this year was named a presidential appointee to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
Siga Chief Executive Eric Rose said Stern's "insight, experience, and leadership, particularly his understanding of how our federal government works, will complement the skill sets" of the existing board.
Siga applies viral and bacterial genomics and sophisticated modeling to develop products for the prevention and treatment of serious infectious diseases, with an emphasis on products for biological warfare defense.
Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark
Jarrett is always at the heart of everything in this admin.
~~Ping!
: “I talked to Barack about the Senate seat, can I come and see you.”
Blagojevich continues: “OK, he’ll be explicit.”
Harris says to tell Balanoff: “How do we take care of the president-elect’s issues as well as the people of Illinois.”
Hmmmmm, could be something than maybe not but worth pursuing.
Blago sure dreams BIG
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Rod Blagojevich. Ambassador to India.
By Natasha Korecki
on June 22, 2010 4:42 PM Reporting with Sarah Ostman
###
John Harris’ testimony continues and prosecutors play another recording where jurors can hear Rod Blagojevich negotiating ways he can benefit from appointing Valerie Jarrett to the Senate seat.
On the call, Blagojevich also explores appointing himself, describing it as the “ace in the hole.” Harris says regular people won’t be offended by the move.
“Oh, it will be the pundits, it won’t be the average people,” Harris tells Blagojevich on the call.
Rod Blagojevich at one point wonders what a Jarrett appointment is worth to Obama.
He again brings up the secretary of Health and Human Services position.
“If I were him, a top cabinet post. I wouldn’t consider it. I wouldn’t do it if I were him,” Harris says on the tape.
“Because of Rezko?” Blagojevich asks him, referring to an investigation looking into his ties to the tainted fund-raiser.
“Because of Rezko. And that’s not how I’m gonna build my team,” Harris says.
The governor then wonders about a U.N. ambassadorship position. Again, Harris says it’s unreasonable.
Blagojevich and Harris then strategize for the governor’s planned phone call to union leader Tom Balanoff, who he believes is acting as a go-between for the Obama camp. Blago is trying to figure out the best way to ask for a job.
Harris likens the potential conversation to bidding for a house, urging Blagojevich not too shoot too high to start. Instead, he suggested, let the Obama camp make the first move.
“Let them feel like they’re helping you,” Harris says. “Let them come to you first.”
Harris: So if they come back and way we’ll make you assistant secretary of labor, right, ‘Well, come on, f-— that.”
Blagojevich: I think I’d rather be senator.
Blagojevich asks Harris to suggest some other jobs.
Blagojevich: Let’s go down the pecking order. What else is good?
Blagojevich asks about an ambassadorship. Harris said he thinks Obama would “do an ambassadorship.”
Blagojevich: OK. I’m interested. How about India? South Africa? ... That’s realistic? No s-—.
Harris explained his reasoning from the stand, saying, “An ambassadorship in some small country somewhere would pretty much sideline (Blagojevich) for the rest of his political life” and therefore may be appealing to Obama.
On the tape, Blagojevich is clearly taken with the India idea.
“So I’m the governor of a $58 billion corporation, why can’t I be ambassador to India?” he asks.
But he quickly switches gears to another dream job, asking Harris, “What’s more important, commerce secretary or ambassador to India?”
He argues that he has “a bigger resume” than Bill Daley did when he was appointed commerce secretary.
“What do you think,” he asks Harris, referring to the commerce post. “Unreachable? Or, you know, not necessarily unreachable but hard to get?”
Harris, sounding disinterested at this point, responds, “I’d put it right of hard but not impossible.”
Back to the ambassadorships. “Canada? France?” Blago asks.
“All those are easier than India,” Harris says.
But, Harris says, Blagojevich may face an uphill battle.
“It’s the Rezko issue,” Harris is heard saying. “I think your qualifications are there. It’s not about your qualifications.”
http://blogs.suntimes.com/blago/2010/06/rod_blagojevich_ambassador_to.html
06/22/2010
‘I’d like to get the (expletive) out of here’
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was ready to hit the ‘eject’ button and leave his Illinois troubles behind him, according to a secretly recorded call played for the jury this afternoon.
“I’d like to get the (expletive) out of here,” Blagojevich said on the call with his chief of staff, John Harris, the morning after the 2008 presidential election. “The objective is to get a good gig over there,” he said in reference to Washington.
Blagojevich and Harris were waiting for word from the camp of President-elect Barack Obama.
At issue was how much say Obama wanted in who would succeed him in the U.S. Senate, and more importantly to Blagojevich, what Obama was willing to do about it. Blagojevich was expecting the Obama representative to be union official Tom Balanoff.
Harris and Blagojevich could be heard rehearsing what they would say when Balanoff came calling, including floating the names of candidates Obama wasn’t necessarily interested in. Blagojevich allegedly was exploring the possibility he could get a cabinet appointment or another post in exchange for appointing Obama friend Valerie Jarrett.
(snip)
Obama’s crew offered money to Blago’s campaign to get Jarret in - this is not being addressed.
This trial is a charade, they will let Blago off with a slap if he doesn’t splash mud.
Obama’s crew offered money to Blago’s campaign to get Jarret in - this is not being addressed.
This trial is a charade, they will let Blago off with a slap if he doesn’t splash mud.
On display: The standard Democrat politician's contempt for the idiot voters who pull that "D" lever like zombies.
Are those like the Small People?
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