Well here we go. Tony Rezko was part owner of a real estate firm called Rezmar, which the law firm now known as Miner, Barnhill & Galland used to represent. One of the former name partners, Allison Davis, was one of Obama's bosses at the firm, he later went into business with Rezko, and they remain partners "in a technical sense."
In April, Robert Gibbs of the Obama campaign (not Obama, the audacity of that!) answered some questions posed to the senator by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Q: At the time of those deals, Tony Rezko was a client of the senator's firm, a campaign donor to the senator, a personal friend, and a business partner with the senator's boss, Allison Davis. But Mr. Rezko was also a landlord to many constituents living in the state Senate district that Senator Obama represented at the time. And many of those Rezmar properties had fallen into disrepair, while Rezmar began to fail financially. Did the senator ever talk to Tony Rezko about the deteriorating status of his housing projects?
A: To reiterate: the firm did represent entities in which Tony Rezko had an interest but never Tony Rezko, personally. Senator Obama does not remember having conversations with Tony Rezko about properties that he owned or any specific issues related to those properties.
Q: In this situation, how did the senator decide whose interests took precedence: Mr. Rezko, Mr. Davis, the senator's constituents?
A: The Senator, then a junior lawyer, did not have the authority, the assignment or the opportunity to make such decisions. But it is important to keep in mind that the whole enterprise of affordable housing is geared toward improving housing stock for those unable to afford market-priced housing. The goals of the firm's clients were consistent with the needs of communities benefiting from affordable housing initiatives.
England's Guardian newspaper is the latest media entity to ask questions of the firm in regards to Rezko and Obama. Daniel Nasaw tracked down Judson Miner, a partner at the senator's former law firm. Miner is a former City of Chicago corporation counsel--he knows his way around the political minefield.
"Barack never represented Rezko; we never represented Rezko," Miner said. "Our role was simply to do the research for the client." Miner also disputed the suggestion the non-profit was developing "slums". "These programs are about buying slum property and turning them around," he said.
Huh? Then who or what did the firm represent?
If Miner's replies make any sense to you, please add your thoughts in the comments section.
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