Free Republic

Gov's aide did time in '80s terror case SPRINGFIELD | Blagojevich stands by Guerra, who refused to testify before grand jury September 7, 2007 BY DAVE MCKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief SPRINGFIELD -- A high-ranking official in Gov. Blagojevich's office spent nearly two years in a federal prison for refusing to aid a government terrorism probe into a series of bombings in Chicago and New York City. Steven Guerra, Blagojevich's $120,000-a-year deputy chief of staff for community services, was identified by federal prosecutors as a member of the Puerto Rican separatist group, FALN, which was behind a wave of violence...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich and an Illinois congressman are standing behind a man who got a high-ranking state job despite serving prison time for refusing to cooperate in a federal investigation of a militant group. U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, praised Steven Guerra on Friday for doing "excellent work" in private and public sectors pushing health and education issues. Blagojevich continues to support Guerra, who "unequivocally" condemns violence by the Armed Forces of National Liberation, identified by the acronym FALN, and denies he was ever a member, said spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff. Guerra, 53, is Blagojevich's...