Rezko Muckrakers Alert!
By NoQuarter on March 14, 2008 at 5:32 PM in Barack Obama, Tony Rezko
√√ UPDATE 2: Via Capitol Fax blog: “The Tribune interviewed Sen. Barack Obama today about his ties to Tony Rezko.”
* The audio links are here. Or, [try Capitol Fax's audio] by clicking here.
“The story is pretty light (usual Trib practice of way too much background and not enough “news”) so listen to the audio. * 6:05 pm - I’m listening to the Tribune audio, and here is what I have so far… [READ ALL.]
√ UPDATE 1: BELOW ARE the questions that Howard Wolfson posed to Barack Obama and his campaign regarding his long ties to Tony Rezko. Let’s see if any of those questions are answered in today’s interview.
::::::::::::
BREAKING NEWS
Obama: Rezko played a bigger fundraising role
UPDATED 5:13 PM
EXCLUSIVE:
Indicted Chicago businessman Tony Rezko was a more significant fundraiser for Barack Obama’s earlier political campaigns than previously known, according to an extensive interview Obama gave the Tribune today.
• The story that started this: Rezko’s vacant lot
• Photos: Obama at Tribune Tower
• Obama calls pastor’s words ‘appalling’
I just received an e-mail Tribune “alert” to this story. I have not read it yet. I invite you all to read it, dissect it, analyze it, and — most critically — fact-check it. Share your observations and opinions below.
UPDATE: Clinton Memo on Rezko Questions, March 3, 2008
From the Clinton campaign:
Questions Sen. Obama Should Answer About Tony Rezko
The trail of indicted influence peddler Tony Rezko - longtime friend and political patron of Sen. Barack Obama — starts today . Sen. Obama’s name has already surfaced in pre-trial documents submitted by the prosecution and, according to media reports, is likely to surface again as the trial progresses. Democrats deserve the answers to these questions as they consider their votes:
1. Will Sen. Obama release all documents related to his relationship with Tony Rezko, including all documents related to his controversial land transaction?
Howard Wolfson asked top Obama strategist David Axelrod this question on ABC’s This Week and the campaign has yet to respond. [ABC’s This Week, 3/2/08]
2. When, specifically, did Sen. Obama become aware of Mr. Rezko’s legal problems?
On national television this January, Sen. Obama said “no one had an inkling” of Rezko’s legal troubles during the course of their relationship. Actually, it was already widely reported that Mr. Rezko was under investigation for participating in a kickback scheme prior to their controversial land transaction. [CBS, 1/23/08
; Chicago Sun-Times, 9/16/05] 3. Sen. Obama has returned money from several individuals who are publicly associated with Mr. Rezko. How much money did Mr. Rezko bundle for Sen. Obama’s campaigns in total, including people who are not business associates of Mr. Rezko? How many fundraisers did Mr. Rezko hold for Sen. Obama? Has there been an internal investigation to determine how many straw donors Mr. Rezko used to funnel money to Sen. Obama?
The Obama campaign has returned money from people who are publicly associate with Mr. Rezko. But they have not revealed who much Mr. Rezko bundled for Sen. Obama in total. The Chicago Sun Times reported that the Obama campaign “declined to say” whether they maintained a list of the money that Mr. Rezko raised for Mr. Obama over the course of his career. [Chicago Sun Times, 1/23/08
] 4. Much of the upcoming trail involves Mr. Rezko’s efforts to control state boards as a means to defraud the state government. Have Sen. Obama and Mr. Rezko ever communicated about potential appointments to Illinois boards and commissions? It’s been publicly reported that Sen. Obama lobbied these same state boards to secure contracts for campaign donors. Did Sen. Obama ever confer with Mr. Rezko concerning how to successfully lobby state boards?
The indictment alleges that Mr. Rezko manipulated state government boards to defraud the people of Illinois. At the same time, “Mr. Obama met with three state pension boards,” urging them to give contracts to specific firms. Later, employees of these companies “donated more than $300,000 to help Mr. Obama win his seat in the United States Senate in 2004 and set fund-raising records early in the 2008 presidential race.” [New York Times, 10/01/07
] 5. The New York Times reported that Sen. Obama attended a business meeting on behalf of Mr. Rezko to impress potential investors for his business schemes. How many events did Sen. Obama attend on behalf of Mr. Rezko to impress investors? What was his role? Why did Sen. Obama agree to attend?
The New York Times reported in June that “Former Rezko associates said that Governor Blagojevich attended one of the dinners, and that at Mr. Rezko’s request, Mr. Obama dropped in at one for Middle Eastern bankers in early 2004, just as he was starting to pull ahead in the Senate primary. The visits, Mr. Rezko’s partners said, helped impress foreign guests.” [New York Times, 6/14/07
] 6. How many times did Senator Obama visit Tony Rezko’s house? What was the purpose of these visits?
The Times of London reports that “The court is also expected to hear from John Thomas, an FBI mole, who reportedly witnessed Mr Obama and Mr Blagojevich making frequent visits to Mr Rezko.” [The Times, 3/3/08
] 7. Did Sen. Obama intercede on behalf of Mr. Rezko in any governmental capacity?
The Chicago Sun Times reported that “As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko’s successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens.” They have not said whether there were any other actions that Obama took for the benefit of Rezko. [Chicago Sun Times, 6/13/07
]
P.S. Obama will be on both MSNBO’s Countdown with Keith Obamaman, Fox News with reporter Major Garrett (not sure which show — perhaps Brit Hume’s?), and CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 tonight.
I anticipate the interviews will be hard-hitting and revelatory.
Not.
Maybe Garrett? Let’s hope.
feh. I could’ve asked harder questions than that. Wonder if the super delegates made him talk…
Either he’s really stupid or he thinks the American people are stupid.
I can’t believe that he expects voters will keep buying his excuses one after the others. Every story he comes up with excuses. When there is no excuse left, he uses the race shield.
Yes, this is what Obama wants people to believe. A shame it is just another sham just like him.
Honestly I can only read a certain amount of Obama crap a day. And I am all filled up. I promise to read the rest tomorrow and properly comment. But it’s Friday night.
His people can’t lie as well as Bush’s either.
Their eyes get bigger when they have to recite the practiced talking points, you can hear the discomfort.
It’s not getting better, no matter who is shilling for him, he reminds me of a cornered fox.
Hmmm, Obama states categorically that Rezko had not asked him for favors in the past.
Oh really?!
Rezko didn’t have to ask. With Obama’s superior “judgment” (bordering on the Prophetic), Barack already knew what to do for Tony.
Did Obama really say that - Rezko never asked for favors?
I’m sure Olbermann will be all over this.
He needs to ask Obama if he did any favors for Rezko, even if Rezko didn’t ask.
Yeah, right.
Olbermann will do another special comment to codemn as Racist any and all questions asked of Saint Barack.
I lost all patience with Olbermann when, on the day Obama criticized the suggestion of being Clinton’s VP with “how can I be VP when they say I’m not qualified?” opened his show with “Hillary thinks Obama is not qualified but wants him to be VP? We’ll examine THAT twisted logic…”
In other words, when he became an official Obama echo chamber. Maybe it happened before that day, but that was the moment that clinched it for me.
I keep wondering why he did this now. Is something going to come out in the trial that he’s worried about?
Susan: I don’t think so. I think it’s something that took a long time to set up - and set up to the triad’s satisfaction. It’s a preemptive move is all. Cheers.
That’s what I thought of at first, too.
But this is Obama, not Bush –
meaning the shit will still hit the fan, little by little by little.
And the Tribune, owned by Sam Zell, is anti-Hillary, with Zell making a disparaging remark about Clinton in the 11.12.07 New Yorker:
It is the Sun Times that will ask the hard questions, the Tribune is another Obama press organ, like Fox, to Bush.
I mean, how did that turn out, you know, not too good.
Also, Zell, a real estate developer, MUST be connected to Obama, Rezko and Auchi somehow, Obama being the Kevin Bacon of the politically corrupt.
Zell has done extensive work in the middle east.
Simon -
Perfectly said Simon! Bravo!!
I think it’s something that took a long time to set up
good point.
Triangulation by the Republicans took place months ago. If anyone is under the illusion that these individuals will not continue to use the “tools” at their disposal to spy, do sneak and peeks, conduct MSM sy-ops and illegally tap every blackberry in the 202, then you really should vote for the Jr. Senator from Illinois.
Against this backdrop are the painted ponies of the 312. The on going investigations that connects the Governor, Emil Jones, Senator Obama, Rezko and the majority votes of the finance, pension, hospital, minority contracting boards and corporations are not going away.
Ask yourself what the chain of custody is in handling the reams of information generated by this effort. Then if you still think the US attorney “scandal” is behind us and the guy that CAN’T render a legal judgment on water-boarding is in charge, vote for Obama.
These investigations are years in the making and have already claimed the previous Governor of the state. There are wiretaps going back to after 9/11. The FBI has dossiers for every pony on the carousel, in J Edgar’s favorite 312 stopping ground, and if you don’t believe it vote for Obama.
Obama’s “spiritual mentor” and friends have been the subject of previous investigations. In spite of the profit being made from ugly rhetorical sermons and the misbegotten gains we are now required to believe Obama didn’t do more than the “5 hours” of work for Rezko, is serious when rejecting his preacher,(Judas?) and to “see” someone “we” can trust; just like Obama trusted Rezko’s advice on a walkthru he can’t remember or the people freezing without basic human nessesities. Obama thinks repealing the AUMF is “convoluted”. If you are willing to acknowledge it was a mistake but don’t understand why it needs to be repealed, vote for your “boneheaded mistake”. Just remember when you do…
Rep.Conyers took to the floor midday and said, “yesterday we found out the FBI is still illegally using National Security Letters…and four days ago we we told that the NSA was using its massive power to build a database of every American citizen…” and you still want not to realize that Republicans control this circus, vote for Obama.
Is something going to come out in the trial
At a minimum it will conflict with his and his wife’ depositions.
Susan,
Thanks for the good work. An off-topic to this post, but rather a request regarding a previous one, about Obama’s pastor. Obama wrote in HuffPo today: “The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign.”
I doubt many readers of this site belive that statement, so I wonder if you could post a request for some research and data, which would place Obama somewhere within the earshot when Rev. Wright spewed his venom, or when his records have been played, etc. I would think that would open quite a few eyes.
Thanks again,
–Anatol
I’m a leftist California Prius driving vegetarian social worker, but Obama scares the hell out of me! Who is this guy? We know nothing about him. He’s been plaguarizing speeches, associating with a racist minister for 17 years and taking money for 20 years from Tony Rezko a major slumlord. At least we know who McCain and H. Clinton are. Who will Obama appoint to help him (advise him since he’s so inexperienced)? Is anyone else out there nervous?
I think he is pre-empting any questions on this and Wright before the PA debate (they have agree to one).
So by then are “old news”. Typical thing of venting things early so that they run teh news cycle before it matters (eg. in a debate or closer to the PA primary). There are 6 weeks and that’s a long time for all this to run and die down by then.
I think Axelrod is playing a “pre-emptive” game here.
You know, Susan, I think there is very good chance the republicans will use the Wright Obama garbage to smear the whole democratic party, whether Obama is the nominee, or not.
Rove said the strategy was to portray democrats as weak on terror, and now traitors, with the “goddamn America” comment, and you know what they say, accuse your enemy of what you yourself are guilty of…
The democrats need to DUMP Obama, ASAP.
Really.
I agree. Obama has gone beyond damaging himself to now starting to damage the entire party.
And the democratic party leaders will keep their heads in the sand, doing nothing.
Watch.
This calls for bold decisive courageous leadership, and the ostensible democratic leaders, will again, fail.
I hope Clinton’s people can start to assert more control of the party, because without, the democrats are fated toward a wash, in the fall.
Asked if he ever thought Rezko would expect something from their relationship, Obama was definitive. “No, precisely because I’d known him for [many] years and he hadn’t asked me for favors.”
Riddle me this…What favors did he ask of Rezko?
“I haven’t been involved with him in any legislative work whatsoever or any government activities of any sort.”
That would be funny if it was not a bold face lie.
I read this artical and there is something very wrong with it. Is there a hard transcript of the interview or video?
…it is a PR piece.
And Obama lies or “doesn’t recall” all throught the interview.
Someone is headed for a grand jury is what this sounds like.
Yeah but there are some gems, practically ripped from the red phone SNL skit:
So…we’ll se it as a mistake, Barry, but we’re still concerned about your judgement.
Well - you cavorted with a wrongdoer, and called that a boneheaded mistake. So I can’t really trust you not to make boneheaded mistakes, Barry.
Oh good. Is this how you’ll deal with Putin too? Look into his soul, go on your instinct to believe him?
Bush did.
Maybe Putin is the new Rasputin, or something, “whatever you do, Sir, dont look in his eyes.”
I think this is exactly what it appears to be. It’s well planned and Obama didn’t plan it. His triad did and they made very sure they set it up well.
To me it changes nothing. To me it was also a bit like Britney Spears calling the paparazzi before she leaves the house. Obama saying he doesn’t do favours for Rezko is a bit tricky. He’s done small ones but the big ones are things he didn’t do - such as checking his own constituency and seeing they were freezing and Rezko was running with the $100 million in cash. That’s what Rezko wanted from him and he got it.
And he flat out lied, saying in the debate he only did 5 hours of work for Rezko.
So, which is it?
Capitol Fax blog has put up two links to the audio, and I’ve added those at the top of the story.
Note that he says, “The story is pretty light (usual Trib practice of way too much background and not enough “news”) so listen to the audio.”
He is also jotting down his observations as he listens.
Thank you SusanUNPc…Content is block where I am. more later.
Saint Barack is APPALLED at the words of the guy who’s been his pastor for more than twenty years. Those would be words he’s used again and again, and has put on videotapes his church sells, and that Obama himself has referred to when he calls the pastor a “crazy uncle.”
Coming next: Obama is STUNNED to learn that Hillary Clinton is a woman, that the sun rises in the East, and that the Berlin Wall came down almost twenty years ago.
What a total, massive fraud.
The idiot says he approves of Wright’s theology..
Ahem, Wright’s theology is “God Damn America”.
He can’t split this baby.
OK I’ve got five bucks - how long until he throws his own wife under the bus?
Here’s Obama’s entry at Huffpost about Wright:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barack-obama/on-my-faith-and-my-church_b_91623.html
Hey, this is slightly OT, but why isn’t Michele’s comment that she wants to rip Clinton’s eyes out getting more play?
Maybe he’ll distance himself from Michelle next week?
It’s so revolting, no one wants to touch it, it’s lower class, you know, unworthy of a future persidency, this lack of control, class and world class diplomacy.
Truthfully, people feel embarassed for her.
The stereotype is of the Obama’s as ghetto trash, and the republicans will exploit it, essentially giving the Obama’s enough rope.
A lack of class, not lower class, sorry.
I don’t understand this audio; seems just a monologue for Obama to say whatever story he want (like the audio of a book). Where are the questions challenging some of this? Like when he says “I think the lot was already subdivided when we first became interested in it”
Uh?
Was this an interview or just a commercial spot bought by Obama at the Tribune?
Why aren’t there any questions being asked as he talks on each segment?
He lies: he says he has a document from the sellers on the terms : this was no document. This is known to be an email redacted by Obama’s camp and sent to the doctors asking them to say “yes I agree” and sign on the dotted lines.
The sellers confirmed this by the request of the campaign in an email: the sellers did not volunteeer this.
I am sorry but this is not an interview or vetting a candidate this free advertisement for Obama….
Susan if you have a different take, please enlight me
I am pretty angry by this “conversation” (monologue)
by Obama.
There are no rebuttal at all…
I”m not speaking for Susan, but the tribune is owned by Sam Zell, who was quoted in the new yorker referring to Clinton “with a four letter obscenity.”
Zell is a real estate developer, like Rezko, and has done extensive work in the middle east.
I will probably research to see if Obama and Zell have common Middle East benefactors, Zell doing work in the UAE.
The Trib article is a real puff piece and answeres nothing. Could this be a little advance damage control? We know at some point SOMEONE will testify at the trial (or come out of the woodwork from somewhere else) with something interesting. A guy like Rezko doesn’t raise funds/promote pols out of the goodness of his heart. He WANTED something, and his continued major support does imply that he was getting it. Perhaps Fitz is making his way up the ladder at an inopportune moment…..
And who was Rezko working for?
According to the Toronto Sun, James Bone, of the uk times, feels Rezko is a fairly big player in the Middle East, and Syria.
Given the Chicago/Michigan Arab communities, Rezko, and the amount of corruption we’re seeing, things should get interesting.
It is likely that Rita Rezko and Michelle Obama will be jammed serveral rungs up…
There arose such a clatter …..
Reading the WSJ article Susan posted today about Obama and Wright you notice that Wright’s awful speech about Aids being an invention of the US to kill blacks, etc etc etc delivered at the at Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel took place on January 15th, 2006.
Yet in 2006 Obama donated the incredible amount of $22,500 to Wright’s church. Sounds to me like a strong approval of Wright’s comments by Obama.
It is impossible to get a comment posted on Keith’s site unless you tell him how wonderful he is .
I just tried again today and so far haven’t seen it.
Isn’t it curious to anyone that both these things (Rezko and Wright) are being Obama “answered”(cynical) both simultaneouly by Obama today ?
Two things: (1) playing them together why? (diminishe sthe airtime each can get alone)
(2) it is well known that if you want to release bad
news to the press you do it “on a Friday”
Presidents always do this b/c they know noone (I mena
othyer than political junkies) pays attention to the news/papers on Saturdays’ So goes better under the radar.
What’s your take? I find it interesting both these things are happening
together and “on Friday afternoon”
Obama ever give any 5th Amendment lectures to students at Chicago U?
Maybe he has only talked about this in private with Rezko.
Did you say Ollie?
There’s also an article in the Sun-Times today, promising more for the weekend, and according to Lynn Sweet’s blog, Wright’s now been officially thrown under the bus. Of course, there is still the problem of him sitting in the pew in front of him for 20 YEARS, so not so easy to distance himself as Hillary from Gerry. The R’s will NOT let this die!
Right now in the Rezko trial, they are talking about the dirty deals the hospital board did in trying to get hospitals built. They were going to get kickbacks from the contractor (my read on it. I noticed that in Obama’s earmarks he included hospitals, notably Michelle’s employer. I can’t help wonder if there is some kind of connection and how all this is going to shake out.
Michelle worked for the University of Chicago hospital, as VP of something.
She received a 200,000 dollar pay raise after Obama became a Senator.
It smells fishy.
The University of Chicago was also an Obama senatorial earmark, and I think, off the top of my head, Obama was also a chairman of the hospital planning board, in IL.
Try rezkowatch.blogspot.com, it’s up to date.
Poor Fitz probably got scared, too, as he connected all the dots, but corruption in the US government has precedence.
Just bigger weapons, now, the criminal idiot remains the same.
Obama said his family’s real estate broker brought the house to his wife’s attention
Obama is changing his public statements on this and attempting to not have you believe his wife found the property and called the agent. She used her public position for personal gain. In the process, pressure was brought to bear on the sellers of the property to “playball”.
Personal friends Of Michelle and Obama are involved in this case.
Oh, for god’s sake, that’s disgusting.
Fols, read into what Obama is attempting to dom the next primary is 6 weeks away, so speak now and not really answer anything but gain the ablity to say he has cleansed himelf and then attack Clinton for the next few weeks over taxes, hoping his history will bow away and bloggers will tone down against him! It isn’t th maistream media who has put Obama against the wall, it is bloggers he is hoping will tone it down!
The heat is on him and no one had better let the tone die down, as the mainstream media will probably after tonight, unless bloggers keep the heat on!
next Sunday the history channel starts a new series,
axmen: the 4 lumberjacks of the Aspen apocalyspe…
http://www.history.com/minisites/axmen
Ok, it’s only called axmen…
“Obama Tells Sun Times Rezko is Still a Friend”
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/3/15/11508/4452
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/3/15/11508/4452
John Kaas article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama-kass-rezko-column,1,7963637.column
PS: forgot the link to the
interview with the Chicago Sun Times of Obama’s
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/844455,CST-NWS-obama15.article
Obama has got to go. I just can not stand his audacity that he is the politician for “hope” and “change”.
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