As events surrounding the stunning scandal of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich begin to unfold, more and more are asking what president-elect Barack Obama knew and when did he know about it.
Although mainstream news reports insist Obama did nothing inappropriate, they certainly leave a lot to read between the lines.
Top Obama aide David Axelrod told FOX News Chicago on Nov. 23: “I know he’s talked to the governor, and there are a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.” After the scandal broke Dec. 9, Axelrod retracted the statement with another one: “I was mistaken. … They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.”
Conservative outlet World Net Daily is reporting that KHQA-TV posted several stories indicating that Obama met with Blogojevich on Nov. 5 to discuss who would fill the vacant Senate seat (KHQA-TV has since taken down the articles).
MSNBC reports the FBI affidavit shows Blagojevich worked out a deal in a Nov. 10 conference call with the Service Employees International Union and others that a Senator “helpful to the president-elect” would be named, and in turn Blagojevich would get a job as head of Change to Win, a group formed by the union. The union would get an unspecified favor from Obama later. However, the affidavit also says Blagojevich allegedly told an associate he knew Obama wanted a specific Senate candidate but “they’re not going to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them.”
The New York Times reports it was Obama’s intervention in getting a state ethics bill passed that prompted Federal authorities to investigate Blogojevich. After Obama got the reform legislation passed, Blogojevich, who had vetoed it, began pressuring state contractors for donations before the law’s restrictions could take effect on Jan. 1. The FBI began wiretapping his phones shortly after.
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everything is possible when Obama met with Blagojevich, bcoz two great politicians mind doing everything is possible.
Oh, my. It's Kirk and Spock.