This would only be a bombshell if it had been unexpected.

AP Exclusive: Blago talked to Durbin about Senate

CHICAGO (AP) - Just two weeks before his arrest on corruption charges, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich floated a plan to nominate to the U.S. Senate the daughter of his biggest political rival in return for concessions on his pet projects, people familiar with the plan told The Associated Press.

Blagojevich told fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin he was thinking of naming Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the seat vacated when Barack Obama won the presidential election, according to two Durbin aides who spoke on condition of anonymity.

[snip]

The aides said the concessions Blagojevich wanted in return were progress on capital spending projects and a health care bill that were stalled in the Legislature.

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I am perilously close to being gobsmacked by this transcript of the Burris/Blagojevich conversation (via Hot Air). I’m not a lawyer, but it seems to me that there’s enough there to indicate that Roland Burris flat-out lied about not trading favors and money for the Senate seat.  I am not, however, so stunned as to be unable to remind people about this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this…

Hold on: let’s see that video again.

Ha!

…this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and, finally, this.  In short - and may you have as an enjoyable time reviewing those posts as I did - Rod Blagojevich’s pick of Roland Burris for the Illinois Senate was a transparent trap - and Harry Reid and the rest of the Democratic Senate caucus sprung it anyway.  In fact, not being content with springing the trap, Reid and his caucus insisted on making every possible mistake that they could, too.  All because they were afraid.  People will be writing about this act of political revenge fifty years from now, and mocking the Senator from Nevada on every page, too.

Deservedly.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Ace of Spades (H/T, by the way) has kindly given me permission to use the Flaming Blagojevich Skull for this, so I shall:

Sun-Times exclusive: Burris promised Blago campaign a check by mid-December

In a November conversation caught on an FBI wiretap, Roland Burris promised Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother that he’d write the governor a campaign check by mid-December, Burris’ lawyer said today.

That was about a month before Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to the U.S. Senate.

But lawyer Timothy Wright told the Chicago Sun-Times today that his client never sent the check because he believed it wasn’t a good idea given Burris’ interest in the U.S. Senate seat appointment. Wright said Burris’ decision not to send the check had nothing to do with Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest.

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It’s been a while since we visited the Matter of Blagojevich, but one thing that you can always count on: there’s always going to be something new coming out from that glorious trainwreck.

Judge OKs release of wiretap of Burris

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday he would allow the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to have a federal wiretap of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother having a phone conversation with U.S. Sen. Roland Burris.

To summarize why the Senate might want to listen to this recording: Burris, in the course of getting the US Senate to seat him…

• Signed an affidavit indicating that he never talked to Blagojevich’s aides.
• Admitted in his testimony that he actually talked to one of the Governor’s unofficial aides.
• Said in the same testimony that he didn’t remember talking to anybody else.
• Signed another affidavit later on - after he officially became Senator - that he actually had talked to some of Blagojevich’s aides.
• Admitted to reporters that he tried to do some fundraising for Blagojevich.

At this point, as the AP remarked:

Then he stopped answering questions, letting others speak on his behalf.

I’ll let Vice President Joe Biden, who is himself no amateur at this sort of spin control, provide the Democratic response:

Succinct, that.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Fitzmas in April for the man Barack Obama endorsed for re-election in 2006?

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago said Thursday it will release news late in the afternoon about a “significant criminal matter” that will include a court filing.

A written statement gave no information on what the subject might be, but in early January, federal Judge James Holderman gave the office three additional months to decide whether to indict former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and resigned from office. That deadline ends Tuesday.

The U.S. attorney’s office said its announcement would be made in a news release, and posted on its Web site.

As of 5:15 pm EDT, there’s nothing on the website for the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, although the Chicago media expects Blagojevich to (finally) be indicted today. In the meantime, we will have to wait and see a little longer. But as usual, there’s no shortage of Democratic corruption to amuse and horrify us.

UPDATED: Yup, Blago has been indicted; the indictment is described here. The RICO connspiracy charge alone carries a maximum 20-year sentence.

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Roll Call reports that Senate Democrat leaders have basically decided that they won’t succeed in getting Roland Burris to resign anytime soon:

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The general election is in April, but the majority of reporting is assuming that the winner of the Democratic Party is a shoo-in for the general election. So noted.

Moving along, on the Republican side anti-illegal immigration activist and Minuteman member Rosanna Pulido has won the nomination. Speaking as a pro-”amnesty” anti-immigration squishy-soft moderate, I sincerely congratulate her on her victory and wholeheartedly endorse her in the general election; she’s going into this swinging, and her presence at the Chicago Tea Party is something that more and more conservative candidates and officials need to start doing.

On the Democratic side, Mike Quigley is the Democratic candidate. Running on a strict reputation for reform, Quigley defeated SEIU shill Sara Feigenholtz and Illinois Combine pick John Fritchey. Suggestions that his candidacy was linked to Rod Blagojevich’s old organization via Billy Weinberg and Doug Scofield were, of course, dismissed immediately by the candidate. I congratulate SEIU and the Daley Machine on their loss, and thank them for all the money that they wasted in pursuing it.

On the Green side… eh. Progressives. Nobody really cares. I don’t know why they bothered; they’re all going to vote for the Democrat anyway.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Pithily put:

Mr. Burris’s story has more twists than the Chicago El, and none of them good. Caught in a swirl of accusations of perjury and calls for his resignation from state Democrats and Republicans alike, Mr. Burris said yesterday, “I welcome the opportunity to go before any and all investigative bodies, including those referred by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Senate ethics committee to answer any questions they have.” When that opportunity arises, why should anyone believe him?

Link.

We’re really not going to entertain serious arguments that Burris was being honest in answering the questions asked of him concerning his dealings with Rod Blagojevich, right? I mean, everyone has the right to a defense but that doesn’t mean that all defenses are equally credible, does it?

Despite my disgust with the shenanigans of the erstwhile governor of my state, and despite a similar disgust with the unwillingness of my state’s legislature to authorize a special election for the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama–can’t run the risk that the seat go to a Republican after all; democratic republicanism only works for some people if they win elections–I was always in favor of the Senate seating Roland Burris, our new Senator, when he was appointed to the position by former Governor Rod Blagojevich. I had assumed–and was given no reason to believe anything to the contrary–that the appointment was free of the taint that surrounded so many of Blagojevich’s actions while Governor and while I wanted the law to be changed so that a special election would occur, the law is nevertheless the law.

Of course, these were my beliefs before I had the chance to read this:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post — something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.

Burris acknowledges being hit up for the money in a new affidavit he has sent to the head of the House committee that recommended Blagojevich be removed from office.

The affidavit is dated Feb. 5 — three weeks after Burris was sworn in to replace President Obama in the Senate.

[. . .]

Burris’ statement offers the third version of events he has given about his discussions concerning the Senate seat, to which Blagojevich appointed him in late December, after Blagojevich was hit with federal corruption charges that included an allegation he tried to sell the Senate appointment.

More here.

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They threw him out 59-0:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office.

His removal comes nearly two months after his arrest on charges of trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. He becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.

…and AoSHQ reports that they’re apparently setting it up so that he’ll never hold office in Illinois again.

In light of that: Blagojevich likes literary references.  I’m making one under the fold.

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Ride that puppy all the way down, Rod.

Impeachment trial to proceed without Ill. governor

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. Rod Blagojevich, taking his defense to television rather than his impeachment trial, lashed out at his accusers Monday and revealed he had considered naming Oprah Winfrey to the U.S. Senate.

The embattled governor told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the idea of nominating the talk show host came to him as he explored potential candidates for the job that federal prosecutors allege he tried to sell to the highest bidder.

“She seemed to be someone who would help Barack Obama in a significant way become president,” he said. “She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators.”

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For great justice.

CHICAGO — Illinois’ embattled but defiant governor, so fond of reciting poetry as he defends himself against federal corruption allegations, has turned instead to the history books to describe the emotional strain his arrest put on him and his family.

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Gov. Rod Blagojevich compared his early morning December arrest by FBI agents to Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

He says it was a “complete surprise” but he’ll prevail, just like America in World War II.

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Watching the news suggests that everyones’ legs are tingling. Everyone is praising Barack Obama’s smooth transition. That seems odd considering what a miserable ethical disaster it has been. Consider this list:

Obama’s governor, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested for trying to sell his US Senate seat. He tried to involve the SEIU, one of Obama’s key supporters.

Obama appointed a Secretary of Commerce, Bill Richardson, who had to withdraw his name after it turns out that he gave state contracts to donors.

Obama’s nomination for Secretary of the Treasury, Timother Geitner, appears to have defrauded his employer, requesting money from the IMF as “gross-ups” for self-employment taxes he said he had paid but never did. (documents below the fold)

Obama appointed a lobbyist, William Lynn, for the 3rd largest defense contractor to the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense, in violation of Obama’s own transition rules.

Obama appointed a lobbyist, William Corr, to Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, also in violation of Obama’s own transition rules.

Obama’s transition is being advised by an executive on telecom policy, in violation of Obama’s own transition rules.

Obama has appointed an energy and environment czar who is married to an energy lobbyist.

I can’t think of a transition that failed more to vet its appointees or to follow its own procedures.

If Obama runs the government like he has run his transition, it will make Richard Daley’s city hall look like a church. (oh yeah. Did you know that Rahm Emanuel was Daley’s chief fundraiser? That’s a good sign. I am sure that he didn’t learn about pay-to-play there)

The Senate’s findings on Geitner after the jump.

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