by Frank James
The Obama transition team report on its contacts with Gov. Rod Blagojevich' or the governors' office has been released and, as has been telegraphed for days by the Obama team, it exonerates President-elect Obama and his aides from the pay-to-play scandal surrounding the governor.
One of the report's key passages asserts:
The accounts support your statement on December 11, 2008 that you "have never spoken to the Governor on this subject [or] about these issues," and that you "had no contact with the
Governor's office." In addition, the accounts contain no indication of inappropriate discussions
with the Governor or anyone from his office about a "deal" or a quid pro quo arrangement in
which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the
vacancy.
One member of the transition staff, Rahm Emanuel, did have contacts of the type covered by
your request. I discuss the nature of those contacts in the attached report. David Axelrod and
Valerie Jarrett, two other individuals on the transition staff, did not have any contacts with the
Governor or his office but are included in the report to address questions raised by the press.
One of the few surprises, at least to me, in the report was something that contradicted media reports which had said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. wasn't among the people Obama had suggested to Blagojevich as a possible replacement.
The memo by Greg Craig, who conducted the probe and has been chosen by Obama to be his White House general counsel, indicates that Jackson was indeed on the list the Obama people provided to Blagojevich.
The list also included Tammy Duckworth, the disabled Iraq War veteran who heads the Illinois veterans department, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Illinois comptroller Dan Hynes.
The five-page report leaves the clear impression that Obama wasn't pushing a particular candidate, especially after his long-time friend and adviser, Valerie Jarrett took her name out of the running for the Senate seat to work inside the Obama White House instead.
Indeed, it appears Obama studiously wanted to avoid to be seen as playing favorites.
The memo does say Rahm Emanuel, who Obama has named to be his White House chief of staff, had one or two post-election calls with Blagojevich and four or so calls with John Harris who was then Blagojevich's chief of staff.
With Blagojevich, Emanuel discussed potential candidates for the House seat he would be vacating to take the top job in Obama's White House and their were discussions about possible replacements for the Senate seat too. But the report makes clear there was no pay-to-play angle.
Emanuel's discussions with Harris had a similar flavor, according to the report.
A new piece of information to most who've been following the Blagojevich affair will be a description of a conversation beteen Tom Balanoff, head of Illinoi's Service Employees International Union and Jarrett.
Ms. Jarrett recalls that Mr. Balanoff also told her that the Governor had raised with him the question of whether the Governor might be considered as a possible candidate to head up the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration. Mr. Balanoff told Ms.
Jarrett that he told the Governor that it would never happen. Jarrett concurred.
David Axelrod, senior advisor to Obama apparently no discussions with Blagojevich or Harris about potential replacements. And the report clears up a point of confusion caused when Axelrod said a few weeks ago that Obama did speak to Blagojevich about the Senate seat, a statement Axelrod later retracted.
Mr. Axelrod recalls that, after the election, the President-Elect discussed - with Mr. Axelrod and Mr. Emanuel - a number of individuals who were highly qualified to take his place in the Senate. Mr. Axelrod was under the impression that the President-Elect would convey this information to the Governor or to someone from the Governor's office, which explains why Mr. Axelrod gave an inaccurate answer on this subject to questions from the press. He later learned that it was Mr. Emanuel who conveyed those names to the Governor's Chief of Staff, John Harris.
Comments
Kool. Of course certain naysayers only believe what they want to. But Merry Christmas, Swamp.
Posted by: flo | December 23, 2008 6:32 PM
Obama met with Blagojevitch on November 5 to discuss the Senate replacement. This was reported in the news and on the internet. KHQA reported this.
Maybe Obama just forgot, ya think?
------------------------------------
Ill. governor meeting with Obama today
By Carol Sowers
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 10:39 a.m.
CHICAGO, ILL. — Now that Barack Obama will be moving to the White House, his seat in the U.S. Senate representing Illinois will have to be filled.
That’s one of Obama’s first priorities today.
He’s meeting with Governor Rod Blagojevich this afternoon in Chicago to discuss it.
Posted by: Sigmond | December 23, 2008 7:22 PM
Thanks, flo, Merry Christmas to you too.
Posted by: Frank James | December 23, 2008 7:26 PM
Don't think America wil fall for this report, could turn into a Watergate.
Posted by: Inky | December 23, 2008 7:38 PM
60 Trillion Dollar Wall Street scandal and we want to play gotcha with the President-elect. Only " real " Americans could be engaged in such fear and smear nonsense. They just can't leave the slime alone, they are so used to rolling around in it !! Well, boys and girls, get used to it, the election is over and guess what, you are the losers !! I hope you can become even more real and act like true Americans, and give President-elect Obama the chance to prove himself. I should no better, you are probably getting the next Hail Mary ready, that will give you the mud to try to smear the President-elect, again and still, again !! Once a loser, always a loser !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | December 23, 2008 7:53 PM
Posted by: flo | December 23, 2008 6:32 PM
.
There are reasons for naysayers saying "nay", flo, and many of those reasons (not all) are legitimate.
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First and foremost, a vital democracy needs gadflies to keep the scoundrels and thieves in check. God help us all when everybody is happy and content and not complaining.
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Secondly, when the president and his closest confidantes hail from Crook County, Chicago, Illinois that is an automatic red flag to any long-time Chicagoan as well as any thinking American. It means hold on tight to your wallet.
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Third, when a potential scandal is mishandled, when there's "hemming and hawing" and delays and non-communication (and you combine that with item two) an administration is creating its own problems. Jeez, we haven't even had an inauguration yet... this should be an entertaining presidency!
.
And finally. RE: Merry Christmas. Right back at ya!
Posted by: MJ | December 23, 2008 7:55 PM
Sigmond, I don't think it happened. I doubt it was ever scheduled. And I certainly doubt they would just leave it out of the report if it did. Got any witnesses?
MJ, nothing wrong with gadflies and debate; it just helps to have some reasonable basis for suspicion beyond partisan politics or the fact someone is from Chicago. In the rest of the world, facts help. Hope Santa is good to you.
Posted by: Flo | December 23, 2008 8:08 PM
Obama met with Blagojevitch on November 5 to discuss the Senate replacement. This was reported in the news and on the internet. KHQA reported this.
including illinois.gov
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=7260
Posted by: Tim Kolesa | December 23, 2008 8:28 PM
Good points, MJ; but I can't believe Chicagoans have such a low self esteem, but I see it a lot here in the Swamp. I'm from Detroit and despite everything, including the Lions and a Mayor in jail, we have more pride than you guys. (At least we have the Stanley Cup.) Have some trust.
Posted by: mort | December 23, 2008 8:31 PM
Posted by: Flo | December 23, 2008 8:08 PM
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flo, I can't deny it, a lot of of opposition isn't reasonable or well-intended -- on both sides. I try not to fall into that category. (I hope i don't.)
.
Posted by: mort | December 23, 2008 8:31 PM
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Ugh! Hockey hasn't been good in Chicago since I don't know when! But you're right, Chicago doesn't corner the market on bad government. My condolences to the city of Detroit and the state of Louisiana!
Posted by: MJ | December 23, 2008 9:02 PM
What meeting, Tim? A press release is a meeting?
Posted by: gladys | December 23, 2008 9:14 PM
more guilt by association with no proven facts to back up the claims.
empty rhetoric. nothing more.
Posted by: crud | December 23, 2008 10:38 PM
What a big disappointment for the Wingnuts....again.
The fact that there is no evidence MUST be proof that they covered it up.
This story is over when the corporate media says it's over and not a minute sooner. It's possible that they will let it go as a sort of honeymoon present, but the minute some other vague "corruption" story comes along (or they can find a way to tie in Rezko, Blago and ---God willing -- a prostitute or something) they'll be right back here.
This is nothing more than a corporate media/Republican distraction and potentially a serious erosion of political capital. It needs to be aggressively challenged by all those who agree that the unelected members of the press shouldn't be dictating the political agenda in this country. If the right gets its act together and cranks up the old noise machine to just the right pitch and the press continue to party like it's 1997, we will have a problem on our hands that we just can't afford.
I always thought that the Clinton scandals were a terrible indulgence that could only be afforded by a country that was living in a time of peace and prosperity. After the last couple of weeks, I'm not convinced that's true anymore and if I'm right, the consequences could be really quite awful.
Posted by: Rene Lee | December 23, 2008 11:14 PM
In related news:
OJ reports that he's cleared that Simpson fellow of murder.
Richard Milhous exonerates that guy Nixon re: Watergate.
And Bill Clinton proclaims "this isn't the Monica Lewinsky I knew."
Nobody, not even Obama's craziest supporters, takes this self-exoneration seriously.
Posted by: Change | December 24, 2008 12:05 AM
"Don't think America wil fall for this report, could turn into a Watergate."
Posted by: Inky | December 23, 2008
Hope springs eternal in the desperate hearts wingnuts.
Posted by: Quippy | December 24, 2008 12:26 AM
I think the only folks who give a crap about Blagogate anymore are the RNC and the corporate media "pundits". I am so over Blago I could scream. The economy is nose diving to an even deeper meltdown, people are losing their jobs and their benefits like health care insurance and far too many have lost their homes.
The Bush Administration and the GOP are demonizing the back bone of middle class Americans - the auto workers, teachers, all union workers really, blaming them for the economic collapse. These goons are handing over fistfuls of our cash to the fat cats at the very top of Wall Street, no questions asked, of course. All of this is going on while the pundits rail about a bunch of stupid nothing. Every I hear the name Blago mentioned, I change channels or press the mute button.
I will admit Blago is crazy and he is corrupt. But let's get real. I live in Texas where Republican pay-to-politics is the accepted norm has been for years. It happens in just about every other state, too, behind closed doors.
Posted by: Teddy Q | December 24, 2008 12:45 AM
"...it just helps to have some reasonable basis for suspicion beyond partisan politics or the fact someone is from Chicago."
Posted by: Flo | December 23, 2008 8:08 PM
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One more thing. The Swamp isn't a court of law, it's a blog. No politician is (nor should be) automatically granted a benefit of a doubt.
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So in this instance, when all of the principal players are not simply from Chicago but active participants in Chicago's filthy politics, then they have not earned any benefit of a doubt. Both Obama and Jarrett have funnelled millions of tax dollars to Tony Rezko for his barely habitable slum properties. Emanuel has had armies of Chicago city employees doing campaign work for him during work hours, while the taxpayers were footing the bill. We're not talking about saints here.
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And please note that this is a report about Team Obama BY Team Obama. So if it's all the same to you, I'll maintain my skepticism.
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All of that said, I assume that Obama's own hands are clean in this simply because (as it's often said) he's not stupid.
Posted by: MJ | December 24, 2008 7:32 AM
Let's just hear more about Obama abs. Obama's lawyer's report has the ring of Putin's school of democracy. Would the mainstream press even cover Palin's attorney's report of Troopergate? How about Bill's and Hillary's lawyers' reports of their affairs of state. At least one journalist should ask Blago's attorney his report of their interaction with Obama, Inc.
Posted by: Don | December 24, 2008 7:57 AM
From reading these coments more and more truth is coming out about Obama and company. Sure wish the media was this good in digging up the truth.
Posted by: Inky | December 24, 2008 9:43 AM
The dogs are"howling" and the cows are out of the barn..Sorry folks, this cesspool going to spread. It "ain"t no third rate burglary". I'll bet the farm.
Posted by: Bubba Porter | December 24, 2008 9:48 AM
From Jennifer Rubin's blog:
"If only Scooter Libby had thought of this: conduct an internal report, exonerate himself, and release it during Christmas week when he and every other percipient witness were at an inaccessible holiday location. Well, it wouldn’t have worked because the MSM would have regarded such a stunt coming from a Republican official as laughable. Indeed it only would have spurred the press to gin up its own investigation into potential wrongdoing, if only to prove the self-exonerator wrong.
But the rules aren’t the same for the Democrats. When Rahm Emanuel and the other Obama transition team members get a clean bill of health on Blago-gate from their own colleagues, the MSM pronounces itself satisfied.
But this is absurd. A clean bill of health is only possible once all the facts are known. And not many facts are known yet. The transition team put out a sketchy summary, without direct quotations, describing in broad terms its team members’ conversations with Blago and his advisers. They did not release emails or other records which might have shed light on the substance and tone of the conversations between the transition team and Blago (and his circle of advisers and emissaries). They did not make any of the key players available to answer questions. (Indeed, with Emanuel in Africa and the President-elect in Hawaii they are about as unavailable as one could possibly be.) If this is “transparency,” it’s hard to image was opaque will look like with this crowd.
So what’s next?
In addition to demanding the release of all original documents (have the servers at the transition team been searched? have all of the team’s BlackBerrys been reviewed?) and access to all of the relevant players, the MSM — if they are truly returning from their sojourn as faux-campaign aides for Team Obama — should be pursuing a number of lines of inquiry. Without too much difficulty, one can come up with at least five subplots which require further examination."
There's more questions to be asked, and answered. All of which we'd see the media do if Blago and BHO were Republicans.
Posted by: Change You Can Believe In | December 24, 2008 10:41 AM
if they are truly returning from their sojourn as faux-campaign aides for Team Obama — should be pursuing a number of lines of inquiry. Without too much difficulty, one can come up with at least five subplots which require further examination."
There's more questions to be asked, and answered. All of which we'd see the media do if Blago and BHO were Republicans.
Posted by: Change You Can Believe In | December 24, 2008 10:41 AM
Best informationon the internet so far-
if they are truly returning from their sojourn as faux-campaign aides for Team Obama — should be pursuing a number of lines of inquiry. Without too much difficulty, one can come up with at least five subplots which require further examination."
There's more questions to be asked, and answered. All of which we'd see the media do if Blago and BHO were Republicans.
Posted by: Change You Can Believe In | December 24, 2008 10:41 AM
Best article tyo the above respomse-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/16836
Posted by: Inky | December 24, 2008 11:23 AM
Thanks, "Change" Jennifer Rubin, right wing tool, tells us nothing we don't already know. And the alleged 21 calls between Rahm and Blago that you and the Sun-Times have been harping about; no evidence of that either. But keep throwing the innuendo out there if you must be small, and we'll see what sticks.
Posted by: rupert | December 24, 2008 12:06 PM
"From reading these coments more and more truth is coming out about Obama and company. Sure wish the media was this good in digging up the truth."
Posted by: Inky
Inky, if you believe the comments are factual (other than mine), then I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.
Posted by: Flo | December 24, 2008 12:25 PM
"Gawker has key excerpts from the complaint filed against Blagojevich that tie Sneed to the Governor as his patsy. This malarkey about Emanuel and Blago having 21 phone conversations came from a con-artist. Will the Chicago Sun-Times remove yet-another Sneed column?"
Posted by: gladys | December 24, 2008 12:36 PM
Something doesn't add up here. I like to think Obama is smart enough to know Blago is political poison, and that thought was reinforced by Obama avoiding Blago like the plague during his campaign for president. Obama has nothing to gain and everything to lose by "playing ball" with Blago, and I doubt he did.
What doesn't add up to me is that if the snippets from the tapes are accurate, Blago was upset that Obama would not "play ball", and even swore about him. Blago is quoted as saying something like "all they would offer is gratitude? Well (expletive) him." This implies that there had to be some sort of overtures between the Blago and Obama camps. I think it is entirely plausible that this happened and the Obama camp told the Blago camp to get bent. What doesn't add up is the Obama camp claiming there were no such improper conversations whatsoever between the two camps. If none occurred, what is Blago talking about on the tapes? Either he is completely off his rocker and imagined a rejection of his overtures, or such a conversation did happen.
The question in my mind is if such a conversation occurred, why would the Obama camp not come clean with this? The only plausible explanation I can think of is that if Blago made improper overtures to the Obama camp, they would have a moral/ethical duty to report it, and possibly a legal one.
John W., are you out there? Do you think the Obama camp would have a legal duty to report an improper overture from Blago?
Posted by: Herbie H. | December 29, 2008 11:25 AM