Former Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) spoke for almost a half hour during a McCain-Palin conference call this afternoon that I had the honor to listen in on.A lot of scoundrels get elected to public office in Illinois, but one of the votes I'm proud of is when I voted for him in 1998. Before entering politics, Fitzgerald worked in the banking field, and he smells a rat in regards to the still-not explained property deals between the Obamas and Rita Rezko, wife of convicted felon Antoin "Tony" Rezko.
As is his wont, Barack Obama has cloaked his purchase of his Hyde Park mansion in secrecy. For instance--and only a banker could quickly seize on this detail--why hasn't Obama released his HUD 1 document?
Here's what a HUD 1 is:
As a point of reference, closing costs are costs associated with the loan closing, while settlement charges are the whole enchilada--everything. In addition to closing costs, there's pre-paid interest, escrow reserves for taxes and insurance, and the down payment (if the loan is a for a home purchase). Closing costs and settlement charges are estimated on the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and finalized on the HUD-1 document at the closing.
Mainstream media outlets have dismissed the questions about the Rezko-Obama deal by using Obama's explanation of the second transaction--in which the Obamas purchased a 10 foot wide strip of the Rezko lot to enlarge their side yard.
That of course gave the impression, one that I believe is the was the plan, that Tony Rezko, through his wife, bought the lot to help the Obamas purchase a home that they couldn't afford. Obama called his 2005 purchase of the Georgian mansion "a stretch."
Then over time, again this is my opinion, the Obams would buy 10 foot strips from Ms. Rezko.
But Fitzgerald the banker is more interested in the initial purchase. In the teleconference, he said:
There needs to be clarification about whether there was coordination in the stage in which the Obamas got the house under contract around the same time the Rezkos, or possibly an agent of the Rezkos, got the yard under contract.
The Obamas and Rita Rezko closed their deals on the same day. What happened before that?
And who was--this comes from me, not Fitzgerald--the competing lender for the Obamas' mortgage?
Related posts:
Obama's "sweetheart" mortgage: Was the competing lender Broadway Bank?
Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald on Obama's "bi-partisanship"
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Why do you so willfully ignore established fact?
ReplyDeleteThe sellers of the home and lot (same seller owned both properties) wanted to get rid of them at the same time.
That wasn't the Obamas' idea or the Rezkos' idea. It was the sellers' idea.
Perhaps you'll now attack the sellers for coordinating with [insert bs here] to sell their properties to people who wanted to buy them.
--
PS - When my wife and I bought our first place, it was a stretch. After a few years of saving money and earning new and additional income the monthly payments weren't so much of a stretch. Then we outgrew that house and found ourselves stretched again.
Lots of American families are in the exact same situation, unlike your guy, Six or Seven or Eight or However Many Mansions McCain.
At least you can take comfort in the idea that he seems just as out of touch with reality as you.
Happy Halloween.
You miss the point. As you know, there was a cloud over Rezko even in 2005, yet Obaam chose to do business with him.
ReplyDeleteObviously someone (Axelrod?) got to the sellers and told them to keep quiet until after 11/4.
Just like with Ayers.
John, did you ever stop to think that maybe the sellers were just ... sellers?
ReplyDeleteThat maybe they didn't come forward at first because ... they enjoy their privacy?
That perhaps, just perhaps, they were concerned that just because they sold their home to a US Senator and his family that then a legion of partisan conservative bloggers would want to start peeking in their windows and digging through their trash and bugging their new neighbors (a la, Michelle Malkin stalking then-12 year old Graeme Frost)?
...Sometimes, John, someone who sells a house is just someone who sells a house.
And PS: The home sellers have talked to the media so there's no "waiting til after 11/4". Where've you been?