Trump Grants Clemency to Rod Blagojevich, Bernard Kerik and Michael MilkenSee, this sorta thing is why, in addition to impeaching and removing him, the Illinois senate also unanimously barred Blagojevich from ever holding office in the state again.
WASHINGTON — President Trump commuted the 14-year prison sentence of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, the Democrat who was convicted of trying to essentially sell Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat for personal gain, and pardoned the financier Michael R. Milken and Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, the president announced on Tuesday...
Poll: GOP's Michael Grimm Leads By A Whopping 19 PointsBefore getting on with his job as a "shusher" in the prison library, federal prisoner number 40892-424 looks out of the window of the common room and considers
Rep. Michael Grimm appears to be his way to a landslide reelection victory on Tuesday, at least if a new Siena College poll is any indication.
The Staten Island Republican leads Democrat Domenic Recchia by a 19 points among likely voters in the district, a shocking result considering that forecasters expected the race to be very close.
Grimm's lead defies the troubled year he has had. In January he threatened to break a New York reporter in half and throw him off a balcony. In April he was indicted by the federal government on fraud charges.
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Maureen McDonnell was 'a nutbag,' former aide told prosecutorsMaureen McDonnell's former chief of staff testified today that the first lady was prone to screaming rages at her staff, but that the McDonnells appeared romantic with each other.Mary-Shea Sutherland also acknowledged that she "probably" had described Maureen McDonnell to prosecutors as "a nutbag."The nature of the McDonnells' relationship is crucial. Prosecutors are trying to undermine the defense theory that Maureen McDonnell had a crush on Star Scientific CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and the McDonnells could not have conspired with each other because they were estranged...
...That Lil' Roddy has been allowed to run wild-child through the machinery of power, hold national headlines hostage to his whims and turn a political heist-gone-bad into his own, personal "Blag Day Afternoon" ---- is a reflection of the widespread decrepitude of our political system generally, but only in the unique Mosh Pit of Illinois politics could someone name Milorad R. Blagojevich play the race card and not get laughed into political oblivion....
Email scandal mars Christie's chances for presidency; governor apologizesGovernor Christie is already deep into the inevitable next step in political fire-control -- the blaming of the underlings:
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In an explosive story Wednesday, the Bergen Record revealed a cache of private emails that seemed to show Christie’s staff and appointees orchestrated the closure of lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge to plague the small town of Fort Lee, whose Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, had failed to endorse Christie for reelection.
This is dirty politics at its worst. It's like chucking a brick through a window because a shopowner won’t pay you protection money. No one wants a potential president who acts like a mob boss.
The lane closures, starting on Sept. 9, resulted in four days of what the Record called “paralyzing gridlock” in Fort Lee, a small town of 35,000, as folks trying to get across the bridge into Manhattan were stuck in jams that lasted for hours. Here's the money quote in the emails, from the Record's story:
"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Bridget Anne Kelly, one of three deputies on Christie’s senior staff, wrote to David Wildstein, a top Christie executive at the Port Authority, on Aug. 13, about three weeks before the closures. Wildstein, the official who ordered the closures and who resigned last month amid the escalating scandal, wrote back: "Got it."Kelly’s feckless email is bound to go down in history as one of the all-time great political blunders. It becomes the smoking gun that kills Christie’s national political aspirations. Whether he knew about the plan, Christie hired the people and created the atmosphere that allowed this sort of behavior to flourish.
[Updated 2:16 p.m. PST Jan. 8: In a statement released late Tuesday afternoon on his official website, Christie responded to the scandal: "What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions."Those with a freakish memory for political scandal may remember way back in 2000 when then-Mare Daley made a similar attempt to quickly distance himself from the fucked-in-the-head snow removal plan of his newly-appointed Streets and San Commissioner, Al Sanchez. Aides reminded Hizzoner that seeing as how he's known Sanchez for years and had just appointed him with great fanfare...pretending that he'd never heard of the guy or that he was shocked that Sanchez was a goof probably wasn't going to fly.
Convicted political boss Al Sanchez running for Cook County boardFormer Chicago Streets and Sanitation commissioner rigged hiring to benefit party's foot soldiers
And why in the world does "Convicted political boss Al Sanchez" think he has a hope in hell of landing a seat on the Cook County Board?December 03, 2013| By Rick Pearson and John Byrne, Chicago Tribune reportersFormer Chicago Streets and Sanitation boss Al Sanchez, shown in 2010 before the verdict, was convicted of scheming to rig city hiring. He's now running for Cook County Board.Former Chicago Streets and Sanitation boss Al Sanchez, shown in 2010 before the verdict, was convicted of scheming to rig city hiring. He's now running for Cook County Board. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune 2010)Former Chicago Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Al Sanchez, convicted on federal charges of rigging hiring to benefit political foot soldiers, filed Monday to run for the Cook County Board seat previously held by William Beavers — who is headed for prison....
Prosecutors File Response To Blagojevich AppealCHICAGO (AP) – Prosecutors have responded to Rod Blagojevich’s appeal of his corruption conviction, challenging the notion that the behavior that landed the disgraced former Illinois governor behind bars was run-of-the-mill political horse-trading.Government attorneys rebutted that and other claims in an unusually lengthy, 169-page filing before a midnight deadline Tuesday. It’s a reply to the Democrat’s July appeal with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.Jurors convicted Blagojevich on 18 counts, including for trying to profit from his power to name someone to the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated to become president. Blagojevich is serving a 14-year prison term in Colorado as Inmate No. 40892-424.In their 100-page appeal, defense attorneys claim Blagojevich engaged in a legal “political horse-trade” when he floated the idea of a Cabinet seat or ambassadorship for himself if he appointed Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett to the seat. Neither Obama nor Jarrett have ever been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.In their response, prosecutors balk at the idea that what Blagojevich did was commonplace.“This is an extraordinary claim,” the government filing says. “No matter the price he charges, a public official who sells his office engages in crime, not politics.”...
As well as a chance to play this song:Blago the Pure and Holy.Illinois' Agent of Chaos.The Inner Blago.The culture he left behind.
EX-ILL. GOV. RYAN RELEASED FROM HALFWAY HOUSEYes, disgraced former governor George Ryan's lawyer has arranged it so that he will not need to find a job.
MICHAEL TARM Associated Press Published: January 31, 2013 2:47PM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was back at his longtime home on Wednesday following his pre-dawn release from a federal prison after serving more than five years for corruption.
He first reported to a halfway house in Chicago but in a development that took observers by surprise was allowed to go to his spacious home in Kankakee, where he'll be under home confinement for at least several weeks, his attorney Jim Thompson said.
Speaking from Ryan's living room, Thompson said Ryan was beaming and surrounded by his smiling grandchildren
"If you could see his and his grandkids' smiling faces," Thompson, himself a former governor, said by phone from Ryan's home. "He is surrounded by happy faces."
Thompson said officials decided Ryan didn't require the services halfway houses provide, which include ensuring ex-cons can use a checkbook.
Ryan will still be subject to strict rules, including prohibitions against speaking to the media or leaving the house. Thompson added that Ryan was granted retirement status by authorities, so he won't be required to find a job.
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A mayor and a city budget director walk into a bar.
The mayor says, "Buy me a drink."
The budget director shows the mayor a spreadsheet and says, "But the city is broke."
The mayor says, "Buy me a drink or you're fired."
The budget director disappears into the bathroom for a few seconds and returns with a new spreadsheet.
The budget director says, "I was mistaken. We have three million dollars!"
The mayor says, "Hear that everybody! The drinks are on me!"
Corrupt Ex-Governor Update: Final Edition
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He once thought God made him a Rod to rule over Kings.
Today, not so much.
Today, little Roddycompletes his long, strange journey to theIllinois Governors' Maximum Security Retirement FacilityHouse of Many Doors.
Blagojevich's chief of staff gets 10 days in prison
Defendant gets sympathy from judge, who sentenced ex-governor to 14 yearsTen days?
March 29, 2012|By Annie Sweeney, Chicago Tribune reporter
A former chief of staff for Rod Blagojevich who provided crucial assistance to investigators was sentenced Wednesday to a mere 10 days in prison by a federal judge who reserved his harshest comments instead for the former governor, suggesting he was an impossible boss and pointing out some had even questioned his mental stability.
The sentence for John Harris was in stunning contrast to the crushing 14-year term Blagojevich began serving earlier this month in a federal prison in Colorado. In fact, Blagojevich has already spent more time in prison than Harris will.
During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James Zagel took the unusual step of querying Harris about what it was like to work for Blagojevich, quoting from letters sent to the court about how unreasonable Blagojevich could be. The judge also made a reference to suggestions at trial of "some level of mental instability" on Blagojevich's part.
Zagel, who also sentenced Blagojevich, went on to express sympathy for Harris and the "dilemma" he faced with a boss who wouldn't be dissuaded from the plots and schemes to corruptly trade on his office and influence for his own financial benefit.
But in the end, Zagel concluded that Harris shouldn't avoid prison time entirely.
"You were much too close to power, and you had an ability either to stop some of the things (or) report what was going on," the judge said.
After a dramatic pause, Zagel then announced his decision — 10 days in prison, perhaps the shortest prison term ever imposed in a public corruption case in Chicago.
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Woman Jailed In Prostitution Case
June 4, 2011 1:08 PM
WHEATON, Ill. (STMW) - A Chicago woman has been sentenced to 30 days in DuPage County Jail following her arrest late last year by Naperville police for prostitution.
Christina E. Trotter, 20, remained Friday night in the jail, after having been found guilty of misdemeanor charges of prostitution and driving with a suspended license.
Records on file in DuPage County Circuit Court indicated Trotter was convicted Thursday by Judge Ronald D. Sutter. He sentenced her to jail on the suspended license charge, entered an “unsatisfied judgment” finding on the prostitution count and assessed a total of $500 in court costs, records showed.
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Corrupt Governor Update, VI
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So who is John Harris?
Well, once upon a time in a city far, far away...
Daley names O'Hare man as budget directorCan't really say if he did a good job or a bad job.
It wasn't long ago that John Harris was in Mayor Daley's doghouse. But a major scandal and the power vacuum created by a wave of early retirements have a way of wiping the slate clean.
Harris, the brains and voice behind Daley's plan for new runways at O'Hare Airport, was chosen Monday to be Chicago's new $135,516-a-year director of budget and management. He succeeds Bill Abolt, who walked the plank for failing to clean up the hired truck mess.
A former intelligence officer and prosecutor who spent eight years in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the U.S. Army, Harris can match Abolt's intellect. But he also has the toughness and political savvy that Abolt may have lacked.
"He don't take no mess. He's a no-nonsense person who will demand that things be done and they will be done," said Ald. William Beavers (7th), chairman of the City Council's Budget Committee.
Harris is a "better candidate for budget director than Bill Abolt was" because he's served time in two of the biggest-spending departments, said a longtime City Hall observer.
"He knows where all the bodies are buried and where the gun is hidden," the source said.
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Can say, in Illinois politics, there's a club.
And you ain't in it.
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Zagel, who also sentenced Blagojevich, went on to express sympathy for Harris and the "dilemma" he faced with a boss who wouldn't be dissuaded from the plots and schemes to corruptly trade on his office and influence for his own financial benefit.
But in the end, Zagel concluded that Harris shouldn't avoid prison time entirely.
"You were much too close to power, and you had an ability either to stop some of the things (or) report what was going on," the judge said.
After a dramatic pause, Zagel then announced his decision — 10 days in prison, perhaps the shortest prison term ever imposed in a public corruption case in Chicago.
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Harris, who was Blagojevich's chief of staff for three years, testified that at first he objected to some of Blagojevich's crazier ideas, earning him a reputation in the governor's inner circle as a naysayer and acquiring a nickname from Blagojevich — the "Prince of Darkness."
As time went on, Harris testified, he decided to become Blagojevich's sounding board because the governor was increasingly isolated. "There were only so many arrows I could absorb," he told the first jury.
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... The judge also cited what he described as an “unusual set of character reference letters” for Harris, many from prominent figures in city and state political circles. Zagel said he knew at least 10 of the letter writers personally.
And federal prosecutors only had words of praise for Harris. “He was clearly doing everything he could from Day 1” to help authorities build their case, Assistant U.S. Atty. Carrie Hamilton told Zagel.
Still, Harris admitted that he broke the law in a scheme to help Blagojevich try to parlay his power over the Senate appointment into a lucrative private-sector job.
Although he will forever be associated with Blagojevich, whose administration he joined in 2005, Harris had far deeper roots with former Mayor Richard M. Daley. He was a campaign coordinator in a North Side ward for Daley’s 1995 re-election bid and was city budget director and a high-ranking Aviation and Police Department official. He was best known at City Hall for supervising the dead-of-night dismantling of Meigs Field in 2003.
At least two former Daley administration officials — longtime mayoral aide Patrick Harney and chief financial officer Dana Levenson — attended Wednesday’s sentencing to show support for Harris.
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Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison for corruption
By MICHAEL TARM and DON BABWIN, Associated Press – 2 mins ago
CHICAGO – Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a national spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday, one of the stiffest penalties imposed for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics.
Blagojevich's 18 convictions included allegations of trying to leverage his power to appoint someone to President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to raise campaign cash or land a high-paying job.
The twice-elected Democrat is now the second former Illinois governor in a row to be sentenced to prison, and the fourth Illinois governor in the last four decades. His Republican predecessor, George Ryan, currently is serving a sentence of 6 1/2 years, also for corruption
...These last few years have been a helluva wild ride down a helluva rabbit hole, during which I have tried in my own, small way to throw a little light on the many sides of Rod.
Well, he went down to Springpatch in his Goombah best
Indictable boy, they all said
Where he used dirty money to fill his war chest
Indictable boy, they all said
Tried to sell a Senate seat for some Blago bling
Indictable boy, they all said
'Cause dat Senate seat's a fuckin' valuable ting
Indictable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an indictable boy
He made a laughing stock out of Lincoln's home
Indictable boy, they all said
This glib little gunsel with the magic comb
Indictable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an indictable boy
After seven long years out of office he's hurled
Indictable boy, they all said
On to AM Radio and off to Dis-a-ney World
Indictable boy, they all said
3..2..1..But now that ride is over and the bad guy is going to jail, you may be wondering about what is to become of the Culture of Clout in Illinois?Who's the gubernatorial dick
That was a clout machine to all the chicks?
COIFFED!
Ya damn right!
Who is the moral train wreck
That'll fuck us all to save his neck
COIFFED!
Can you dig it?
Who's the cat that won't cop a plea
Until his peeps work out the fee?
COIFFED!
Right On!
They say this cat Coiffed is a nutbag governor
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I'm talkin' 'bout Coiffed.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT!
He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his agent
ROD COIFFED!
You are not entitled to your opinion.
You are entitled to your informed opinion.
No one is entitled to be ignorant.— Harlan Ellison
Blagojevich trial delay request denied
Corruption trial of former governor set to open Thursday
By David Savage, Tribune Washington Burea
5:49 PM CDT, May 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens refused Friday to delay the trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, scheduled to begin Thursday.
Stevens, who handles emergency appeals from the 7th Circuit Court, turned down a motion from Blagojevich's lawyers, who sought a 30-day delay.
The defense team argued the trial should be put on hold until the high court rules in several pending cases on constitutional challenges to the law that makes it a crime to deprive the public of "honest services."
Blagojevich faces 24 counts of corruption, including bribery, extortion and racketeering, but several of counts include charges of honest services fraud.
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House votes to deny funds for Blagojevich's portrait
March 27, 2010
BY STEVE CONTORNO Sun-Times Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD -- If ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants his portrait to hang in the "Hall of Governors" at the state Capitol, he may have to pay for it himself.
Oil paintings of every Blagojevich predecessor from Shadrach Bond to George Ryan occupy a wing of the statehouse and are viewed by thousands of visitors every year.
The Illinois House voted Friday to forbid the state from allocating funds toward a portrait of impeached ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The bill would prohibit the state from funding the portrait of any impeached governor.
But the slot awaiting Blagojevich's painting may stay empty for a while after the House voted 85-23 Friday to forbid the state from allocating funds toward a portrait of an impeached governor.
The Senate-bound bill does not ban an ousted governor from bankrolling the project out of pocket, which could cost as much as $25,000, the bill's top backer said.
"I have no desire nor intent to revise history. I also have no desire nor intent to see to it that someone who is impeached and convicted of impeachable offenses gets into the taxpayers' purse for anything," said Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville), the bill's chief sponsor.
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