Yesterday started out poorly for Barack Obama. As I blogged below, the Chicago Sun-Times unearthed--(or someone else did) some old letters that show it's pretty clear that the then state senator tried to pull strings for his now-disgraced political patron, Tony Rezko.
Later on Wednesday Steven Spielberg, a very influential voice among Hollywood Dems--the entertainment business is a key money source for Democrats--announced he's backing Hillary Clinton in 2008. Four months ago Spielberg hosted an Obama fundraiser.
Then late last night, the New York Times on its web site posted its Thursday print edition article on the longtime Obama-Rezko relationship.
When Mr. Obama first fielded questions about Mr. Rezko last fall, he said they had had lunch once or twice a year and had socialized with their wives "two to four times."
In addition to enlisting his huge circle of donors, Mr. Rezko and Mr. Obama talked frequently about campaign developments during the Senate race, Mr. Rezko's associates said. Many of the donors also contributed to (Ill. Gov. Rod) Blagojevich, and several have been linked to the federal charges against Mr. Rezko. One indictment accuses him of seeking payoffs from companies doing business with state boards, another with fraud in his business dealings.
Mr. Obama recently said he would give away three donations totaling $21,500 from Mr. Rezko’s fund-raising dinner. The senator has said that he was giving away the donations to "make sure there were no questions" about the matter.
Several other Rezko associates who contributed to the Senate campaign were appointed to the state boards that Mr. Rezko is accused of influencing. Mr. Obama has not returned those donations; Mr. Burton, his spokesman, said the senator had nothing to do with the appointments. Mr. Burton also said that Mr. Obama had not known of any questions about Mr. Rezko and his associates at the time he took their donations.
The New York Times also mentions "after he raised $500,000 for Mr. Blagojevich’s election in 2002, Mr. Rezko became the man to see for state appointments."
Like Obama, Blagojevich is a Chicago Democrat.
Being familiar with Illinois politics, I live here, I knew once the bizarre 2005 real estate deal between Rezko's wife and Obama was exposed by the Chicago Tribune last year, this could be a toxic hit--a slow poison perhaps--but since Rezko is the "Where's Waldo" of Illinois graft, this would be a story with spidery legs. The national media is finally catching on, but to get to the heart of the Rezko problem for Obama, I'm turning to this December post from Dan Curry of Reverse Spin:
First, it's a bit silly to suggest that he didn’t know Tony Rezko was in the crosshairs of newspapers and investigators. Rezko was front page news throughout 2005, even in the early months. It is part of a larger pattern of Obama not speaking out about corruption in his own party. He endorsed the ethically challenged Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer and stuck by him after it was revealed he was responsible for bank loans to mobsters. Then he stood silently by at the Illinois State Fair in August, refusing to say a word about nine state and federal corruption investigations of Governor Rod Blagojevich. Then, a few weeks later, he had the Audacity to lecture Kenya about corruption.
I rarely quote from my own blog, but I can't resist this time. From an April 30 post where I talk about the steady drips of news, almost always involving corruption, about Tony Rezko:
Next month, or maybe next week, there will be something else. I don't have any inside information, but Rezko had his hands in so many deals, it's almost a certainty that the drip...drip...dripping will continue.
Last month, federal prosecuters, led by Patrick Fitzgerald, subpoenaed records from Gov. Blagojevich's campaign. Also, for the last year, the feds have been investigating state hiring practices. None of this stuff has anything to do with Obama, but it has a lot to do with Tony Rezko, and that will remind people of Obama, and it's bound to make people cynical about him.
Related posts:
Obama gives up donation from man with Rezko ties
Obama can't shake Tony Rezko
Obama ties to Rezko rotten to the core
More Obama and Rezko
Obama watch: More Tony Rezko
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