Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Arrest: Long Time Coming
1
Federal authorities arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Tuesday morning on corruption charges . His chief of staff John Harris was also indicted. The news may or may not come as a surprise to both Blagojevich and Illinois residents.
In October 2006, Blagojevich’s chief fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko , and businessman Stuart Levine, were indicted on a host of charges. All involved “pay to play” politics.
“You might have thought that in that enivornment, pay to play would slow down. The opposite happened,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a news conference.
One by one, Blagojevich’s inner circle deteriorated. Even members of his wife’s family expressed their dissatisfaction with the way he runs his office.
Obviously, the federal authorities would eventually shift their focus to the governor. Despite this fact, the FBI alleges that Governor Blagojevich continued with schemes to raise money for his campaign, and secure a lucrative job for his wife. The governor also wanted to secure a powerful, and higher-paying job for himself.
The 76-page indictment includes quotes from wire taps, including taps on the governor’s home phone line. Information on page 74 indicates that Gov. Blagojevich even thought of appointing himself to the Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama . According to the indictment, Blagojevich also had plans to run for President in 2016.
At 6 a.m., it all caught up with him. FBI Special Agent Robert Grant called the governor at home. The governor was taken into custody quietly and before his two young daughters woke up.
Among the allegations:
- Gov. Blagojevich wants members of the Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Staff fired in exchange for at least $100 Million in state financial assistance for the sale of Wrigley Field by the Tribune Company .
- Gov. Blagojevich and John Harris tries to leverage the empty Senate Seat in order to secure a position in President-Elect Barack Obama’s Administration, and secure funds for Blagojevich’s re-election campaign fund.
-Gov. Blagojevich will withhold $8 Million from Mercy Hospital unless its executive contributes $50,000 to Blavojevich’s campaign.
- Gov. Blagojevich awarded a $1.8 Billion Tollway project to a highway contractor in exchange for a campaign contribution of $500,000.
According to the FBI, there is also evidence implicating Gov. Blagojevich’s wife, Patricia , and others. However, U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald is asking others to come forward.
“We’re in middle of a corruption crime spree, and we wanted to stop it,” said Fitzgerald, “We encourage people to talk to us.”
Senator Dick Durbin wants the General Assembly to hold a special election to appoint someone to the Senate Seat– not the governor.
Rod Blagojevich’s predecessor, George Ryan, is currently serving a prison sentence again, on corruption charges.
“If it isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor,” said FBI Agent Robert Grant.
Blagojevich’s arrest and the corruption charges highlight the need for change in laws and procedures to make sure this does not occur ever again. Does it sound strange that the previous Illinois governor also had issues with honesty and bribery? I don’t think this problem only exists in the state of Illinois, but the voters, the public – need more control and tougher watchdog to make sure this will never happen again. What’s even more disturbing is Blagos insistence that he has done nothing wrong and that he is completely innocent. Wonder what drug is this man smoking? The best for Mr. Blago would be to apologize to the voters and step aside.