I reported here that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has become entangled in a very high profile federal investigation for conpsiring to offer Barack Obama’s empty Senate seat as a bribe. While this is certainly corruption at its finest, Barack Obama has only begun to venture into the woods.

AtlasShrugs continues the comprehensive coverage, and theobamafile.com sums up everything thusly:

Inauguration Day is more than a month away and Obama can add the Blago scandal to all the other “distractions” he has to deal with.

Obama is surrounded by more scandals than Nixon, Clinton and a dozen other corrupt politicians  combined and he’s not even in office yet, and these things aren’t going to go way.

He will be so busy playing “cover-your-ass,” he will be unable to govern.  His entire administration will be on damage control from day one, and eventually, this will all crumble around him.

Affirmative action is a wonderful thing.

* Distraction – Obama’s term for allegations of wrongdoing by himself and/or his close associates.

Why is this sticking around? Because Barack Obama appears to have had close ties with the Governor. That could be a very big deal because, while there’s been a lot of back-and-forth on “what did you know, Barack Obama, and when did you know it?” regarding Obama’s association with the Illinois Governor, it is getting deeper.

Consider Jeff Schreiber’s commentary on this saga, and look what we have in the PDF of the Criminal Complaint…

Update: Andy Martin, Plaintiff in Martin v. Lingle, made this commentary.

Update: Hotair.com reports that Obama is calling for the Governor’s resignation.

Update: CitizenWells provides more coverage.

-Phil

94.

On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS

regarding what ROD BLAGOJEVICH could obtain for the Senate seat. After discussing

various federal governmental positions that ROD BLAGOJEVICH would trade the Senate

seat for, ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked about “the private sector” and whether the President-

elect could “put something together there. . . .Something big.” Thereafter, HARRIS

suggested that the President-elect could make ROD BLAGOJEVICH the head of a private

foundation. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS that he should do “homework” on private

foundations “right away.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked whether he could get a high-ranking

position at the Red Cross. HARRIS stated that “it’s got to be a group that is dependent on

[the President-elect],” and that a President probably could not influence the Red Cross. ROD

BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS to “look into all of those.”

 

101. On November 10, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, his wife, JOHN HARRIS,

Governor General Counsel, and various Washington-D.C. based advisors, including Advisor

B, discussed the open Senate seat during a conference call. (The Washington D.C.-based

advisors to ROD BLAGOJEVICH are believed to have participated on this call from

Washington D.C.). Various individuals participated at different times during the call. The

call lasted for approximately two hours, and what follows are simply summaries of various

portions of the two-hour call.

a.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH expressed his interest in figuring out a way to

make money and build some financial security, while at the same time potentially

participating in the political arena again. ROD BLAGOJEVICH mentioned the Senate seat,

the dynamics of a new Presidential administration with the strong contacts that ROD

BLAGOJEVICH has in it, and asked what if anything he can do to make that work for him

and his wife and his responsibilities as Governor of Illinois. ROD BLAGOJEVICH

suggested during the call that he could name himself to the open Senate seat to avoid

impeachment by the State of Illinois legislature. ROD BLAGOJEVICH agreed it was

unlikely that the President-elect would name him Secretary of Health and Human Services

or give him an ambassadorship because of all of the negative publicity surrounding ROD

BLAGOJEVICH.

b.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked what he can get from the President-elect

for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that Governor General Counsel believes

the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife on paid corporate boards in

exchange for naming the President-elect’s pick to the Senate. Governor General Counsel

asked, “can [the President-elect] help in the private sector. . . where it wouldn’t be tied to

him? . . .I mean, so it wouldn’t necessarily look like one for the other.” ROD

BLAGOJEVICH’s wife suggested during the call that she is qualified to sit on corporate

boards and has a background in real estate and appraisals. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked

whether there is something that could be done with his wife’s “series 7″ license in terms of

working out a deal for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is “struggling”

financially and does “not want to be Governor for the next two years.”

c.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH said thatthe consultants (Advisor B and another

consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it

up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his

senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put

“[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a

fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of

the State of Illinois). ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the

“financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than

another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to ROD

BLAGOJEVICH, “the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial

pressure off of our family.” Later in the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that absent

getting something back, ROD BLAGOJEVICH will not pick Senate Candidate 1. HARRIS

re-stated ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s thoughts that they should ask the President-elect for

something for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s financial security as well as maintain his political

viability. HARRIS said they could work out a three-way deal with SEIU and the President-

elect where SEIU could help the President-elect with ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s appointment

of Senate Candidate 1 to the vacant Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH would obtain a

position as the National Director of the Change to Win campaign, and SEIU would get

something favorable from the President-elect in the future.

d.

One of ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s advisors said he likes the idea, it

sounds like a good idea, but advised ROD BLAGOJEVICH to be leery of promises for

something two years from now. ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife said they would take the job

now. Thereafter, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and others on the phone call discussed various ways

ROD BLAGOJEVICH can “monetize” the relationships he is making as Governor to make

money after ROD BLAGOJEVICH is no longer Governor.