In Which They Pull Me Back In

Once I put Castle Driftglass and my life in Chicago in the rear-view mirror, I thought I would be out of it.  That when blue gal and I set up housekeeping a couple of miles from where they planted Lincoln and a couple of mile from the governor's mansion, that I was mostly done writing about the down-and-dirty of Chicago politics.

But just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.  From the Chicago Tribune Tronc the Chicago Tribune:

Feds charge Ald. Edward Burke, allege wiretap on cellphone captures him in attempted extortion

Longtime Ald. Edward Burke, one of Chicago’s most powerful figures and a vestige of the city’s old Democratic machine, has often been considered too clever and sophisticated to be caught blatantly using his public office to enrich himself.

But after years of dodging investigations while watching dozens of his colleagues hauled off to prison, Burke has been accused of crossing the line himself — and doing so in a quintessential Chicago way.

A federal criminal complaint unsealed Thursday charged Burke with attempted extortion for allegedly using his position as alderman to try to steer business to his private law firm from a company seeking to renovate a fast-food restaurant in his ward. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison on conviction.

The complaint also alleged Burke asked one of the company’s executives in December 2017 to attend an upcoming political fundraiser for "another politician." Sources identified the politician as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who is running for Chicago mayor...

Eddie Burke has been the mad dwarf king of 121 North LaSalle almost since Richie Daley was in short pants.  For half a century he has busied himself in the bowels of City Hall, using his seat in government to mine for treasure ever deeper every year.   Grown so corrupt that he was raided by the FBI not once but twice last month, probably because one of his many side hustles was doing Donald Trump's taxes.

Burke is like some political UXB from two wars ago, excavated almost by accident during an unrelated construction project.  And now that prosecutors have the goods on him and are juicing him like the fresh squeezed at Manny's, don't be surprised if you hear a lot more tales of pity and terror and gangsta shit like this tumbling out of the last survivor of the original Daley Machine.

Behold, a Tip Jar!