Ill. GOP to Gov. Blagojevich: Give back the Rezko cash

Yesterday Morton Grove businessman Andy McKenna, who is also the head of the Illinois Republican Party, called on Governor Rod Blagojevich to return all of his campaign cash tied to convicted felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko. The Chicago Democrat returned $65,000 in directly donated Rezko funds to charity shortly after the Wilmette businessman's first indictment in 2006. But Rezko's friends and business associates, according FBI testimony during the Rezko trial, donated $1.4 million to "Blago's" political fund.

In his first inagural speech in 2003, Blago lied to 12 million Illinoisans when he said that he would "govern as a reformer." To his credit, he was not wagging his finger at the time.

Here's what McKenna says:

Rod Blagojevich broke his promise to the people of Illinois to clean up government. It's been a long time in the making, but now more than ever Rod Blagojevich must do what's right and give back Tony Rezko’s dirty money.

Close Barack Obama associate--and the man who built Barack Obama's flimsy Springfield resume, Emil Jones, hasn't even gone as far as Blagojevich, as the Daily Herald reports:

Campaign finance records show state Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, received a $2,000 donation in April 2006 from a business co-owned by Rezko. Following Rezko's 2006 indictment, Jones said he had no plans of making any donation and on Thursday brushed aside questions.

"I don't know whether I took any money," Jones said as he left a meeting with Blagojevich and other legislative leaders.

State House Speaker hasn't returned his Rezko cash either. Barack Obama, like Obama, donated his Rezko cash to charity, but it took eighteen months for him to divest his campaign coffers of Rezko-linked funds--usually after the media reported on the questionable contributions.

Liberal blogs have noted that Rezko also gave money to Republican politicians, including President Bush and former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar. But it wasn't very much, and as far as I can gather, his army of check writing friends didn't follow suit. Also, if Rezko hosted a fundraiser for a Republican candidate at his Wilmette home, it would be news to me.

And finally, Rezko, along with Christopher Kelly, who was indicted on tax charges last year, were the de facto co-heads of Blagojevich's kitchen cabinet.

Rezko was never that close to a Republican office holder.

Related posts:

Impeachment talk about Gov. Blagojevich continues

Obama says he won't pardon Rezko as president

Obama's state legislative record--he got a lot of help

Recall amendment dies in Ill. State Senate

Technorati tags: Chicago illinois Barack Obama Obama Politics Illinois Politics Emil Jones Democrats election Tony Rezko