Tony Rezko news

A week from today, jury selection will begin in the corruption trial of Democratic political insider Tony Rezko. Y'know, Obama's pal.

But for all of the talk of Barack Obama and Rezko, let's not forget the reason he's on trial--he allegedly abused his close relationship with another Democrat, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to steer state pension fund business so he and his associates could enrich themselves with the finder's fees.

Blagojevich and Rezko are pictured above.

In court papers regarding the accusations against the North Shore businessman, it's been widely assumed that the "Public Official A" referenced within is Blagojevich. Well, Judge Amy St. Eve dropped all pretenses--"Blago" is the "A-man."

Obama has not weathered the Rezko storm. Although the pro-Hillary Clinton blogs have done some fabulous work on Obama's Rezko ties, they've barely touched on Blagojevich, because he's a Democrat. Not a very well-loved one, even in Blue Illinois. Republican operatives and bloggers will not hold back in attacking Blago via Rezko; in fact, they'll take great pleasure in it, as I am now.

As I've remarked before, an indictment of Blagojevich is an "October surprise" the Obama camp should worry about.

Even if there isn't, once the Rezko trial is over, there will be, guess what, another Rezko trial, this one involving his Papa John's restaurants, something the mainstream media, outside of Chicago of course, hasn't paid attention to at all.

Like Susan MacDougal and Webster Hubbell, characters from the Whitewater Scandal, Tony Rezko is a name we'll be hearing for a long time.

And one name that may come up in Rezko's first trial is Barack Obama.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

In a nine-page ruling this afternoon, U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would allow federal prosecutors to present evidence about a portion of a $375,000 finder’s fee that a Rezko associate, Joseph Aramanda, obtained through an alleged kickback scheme orchestrated by Rezko.

She also ruled that prosecutors can ask questions about how money from that fee allegedly was used “to make a political contribution” in Aramanda's name "because Rezko had already donated the maximum amount by law and he could not make the contribution himself."

The ruling does not identify Obama as the recipient of that contribution. But sources have identified Obama as the "political candidate" who prosecutors say received a $10,000 contribution from Aramanda — at Rezko’s direction — during his 2004 run for U.S. Senate. Obama has donated that contribution to charity.

Aramanda lives in Glenview, the town just north of Morton Grove. His son served as an intern for Obama in Washington during the summer of 2005.

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