Thursday, January 20, 2005

Mell Withdraws Blagojevich Allegations

I'm sure the soap opera will continue...From AP


Jan 20, 2005 2:15 pm US/CentralCHICAGO (AP) With the threat of a defamation lawsuit looming, powerful Chicago Alderman Richard Mell on Thursday recanted allegations that the chief fund-raiser for his son-in-law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, traded government appointments for campaign contributions.

"When I said that you, as the governor's chief fund-raiser, traded appointments to commissions and state boards for $50,000 donations I knew that to be inaccurate," Mell wrote in a letter to Christopher Kelly, who had been Blagojevich's campaign finance director. "My comments were based upon my misreading of earlier published reports and were an exaggerated extrapolation made by me in the heat of the moment."

Mell's attorney, Paul Levy, said Kelly signed a legal document that prevents him from suing Mell over the issue. Mell, the father of Blagojevich's wife, Patti, made his accusations during a public argument with Blagojevich after the governor closed a landfill run by a distant cousin of his wife. Mell accused Blagojevich of shutting down the landfill to punish him for criticizing the governor in the past and to polish his public image.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_020151837.html

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