Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Barack Hussein Obama
Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship
Political Punch
ABC News
“Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney’s office today,” said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint against Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption. “But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time.”
Asked what contact he’d had with the governor’s office about his replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today said “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”
But on November 23, 2008, his senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said something quite different.
While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a “kingmaker,” Axelrod said, “I know he’s talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”
From David Axelrod’s appearance on Fox Chicago Sunday. (November 23, 2008)
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(UPDATE #2: Axelrod this evening issued a statement saying. “I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.”)
There are no allegations that President-elect Obama or anyone close to him had anything to do with any of the crimes Gov. Blagojevich is accused of having committed.
In fact, there are indications that Mr. Obama and his team refused to go along with the “pay to play” way Blagojevich is accused of operating, offering only “gratitude” if the governor appointed his friend Valerie Jarrett to take his U.S. Senate seat, much to the governor’s chagrin.
But there remain questions about how Blagojevich knew that Mr. Obama was not willing to give him anything in exchange for the Senate seat — with whom was Blagojevich speaking? Did that person report the governor to the authorities?
And, it should be pointed out, Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.
That 2002 endorsement came at the same time that Axelrod had such serious concerns about whether Blagojevich was ready for governing he refused to work for his one-time client.
According to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Mr. Obama’s incoming White House chief of staff, Emanuel, then-state senator Obama, a third Blagojevich aide, and Blagojevich’s campaign co-chair, David Wilhelm, were the top strategists of Blagojevich’s 2002 gubernatorial victory.
Emanuel told the New Yorker earlier this year that he and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor. We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.”
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Obama works to distance himself from Ill. governor
My Way News
As Obama works to set up his new administration and deal with a national economic crisis, suddenly he also is spending time and attention trying to distance himself from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and charges that the governor was trying to sell the now-vacant Senate post.
Said Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new GOP House whip: “The serious nature of the crimes listed by federal prosecutors raises questions about the interaction with Gov. Blagojevich, President-elect Obama and other high ranking officials who will be working for the future president.”
Added Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee: “Americans expect strong leadership, but President-elect Barack Obama’s comments on the matter are insufficient at best.”
It also raises the specter of notorious Chicago politics, an image Obama has tried to distance himself from during his career.
There were signs the continuing investigation could still involve him. ( Obama)
His statement that he didn’t have contact with Blagojevich about the Senate seat seems to conflict with that of top adviser David Axelrod, who told Fox News Chicago on Nov. 23: “I know he’s talked to the governor, and there are a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”
It also appears that Obama friend Valerie Jarrett, an incoming senior White House adviser, is the person referred to repeatedly in court documents as “Candidate 1.” That individual is described as a female who is “an adviser to the president-elect” and as the person Obama wanted appointed to the Senate seat. Court papers say that “Candidate 1” eventually removed “herself” from consideration for the Senate seat.
In a Nov. 11 phone conversation with an aide, Blagojevich talked at length about “Candidate 1” and said he knew that Obama wanted her for the open seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. (Expletive) them.”
One day later, Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman who is one of three co-chairmen of Obama’s transition team and was a high-level adviser to his presidential campaign, made it known that she was not interested in the seat. And, on Nov. 15, Obama announced that Jarrett would be a senior White House adviser and assistant for intergovernmental relations.
“Like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney’s office today. But as this is an ongoing investigation involving the governor, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time,” Obama said – and then he said he wasn’t aware of Blagojevich’s maneuvering.
Wild Thing’s comment………..
Obama wants nothing to do with the guy after he was sure to be president. He tossed Blago under the bus like everyone else. Obama is going to need a bigger bus!
Axelrod “misspoke” = how Democrats excuse their LIES which are many!
Sean Hannity said Ho-bama was mentioned 44 times in the FBI report on the gov. According to Fox, the FBI started their recordings of Blago on October 22nd. Any phone call that took place between BHO and Blago is probably on tape and the Feds are keeping things close to the vest at the moment.
….Thank you Mark for sending this article to me.
Its going to be a long four years Chrissie. But we’ll get through it. All this and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. All these guy’s are low down and bad smellin.
The gift that keeps on giving. Democrats!!!
Obama has never met a criminal he couldn’t work with. Until they are caught. Then Obama never knew them. At least Obama is consistent.
Four more years of Clinton-like scandals. The country is already paying for it’s mistake on Nov. 4, 2008.
Barack Obama attended the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church and listened to his sermons for twenty years and never knew what he said. Now, Barack Obama who grew up, was trained in, and got elected to state and federal office as part of the Chicago Democratic political machine wants us to believe that when it comes to his replacement in the Senate that he had “no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”
Barack Obama is getting to sound more and more like Bill Clinton every day. ‘I did not have senatorial relations with that Governor, Rod Blagojevich’. A Grand Jury needs to ask Barack Obama (under oath) what he or his staff knew and when did they know it.
Well this is change. Another Illonois Governor is going to jail. Maybe Obama can get The Reverand Wright to replace this Turd. This is the Governor who the day before was ‘defending’ the working guy at some plant that lost its credit, some role model. I’d rather have Joe the Plumber, an honest man working for me.
James, yes your right, it will seem like forever. I am so grateful to know you and everyone on here and know we are not alone going through all of this being done to our country.
Jack, haha yes and I don’t want their stinking gifts.
Tom, LOL yes he is consistent.
I have to laugh at this because he is so obvious in how he handles things. He really is a coward too.
Les, yes he is, now that Hillary is on his team we will have double the ‘ gates’ happening. I lost count how many ‘gates’ there were with the Clinton’s.
Travel gate was horrible and they destroyed a man’s life in so many ways.
File gate/bimbo gate/ china gate/ and on and on.
Mark, me too, Joe the Plumber would do a fine job.