Free Republic

Michelle Obama was on the landmark board until the day her house closed in Chicago.

An unflattering portrait depicting Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich as a modern-day Lady Macbeth who plotted against her husband's perceived enemies and backed his corrupt schemes emerged in court documents connected to the governor's arrest Tuesday. Her alleged ambitions and brashness are outlined in a 76-page federal criminal complaint: She helped her husband hatch a plan to sell President-elect Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat. She angled to trade her husband's power for lucrative spots on corporate boards. And she unleashed an obscenity-filled tirade suggesting Tribune Co. ownership should "just fire" Chicago Tribune editorial writers if the company wanted the...

Patti Blagojevich's father, sister and brother are refuting the foul-mouthed portrait that's been drawn of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's wife since his arrest, saying the first lady has been living in a pressure cooker. Chicago Alderman Dick Mell, state Representative-elect Deborah Mell and Rich Mell told the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5 in an exclusive interview Wednesday that profanity-laced comments recorded by federal prosecutors don't reflect who Patti Blagojevich really is. "That is absolutely not my sister," Deborah Mell said. "Patti is a mother, a sister and a devoted wife. "She is particularly protective of her family." In a complaint released...