Obama Report Could Help Blago

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(CBS)

The internal report released last week clearing Barack Obama and his aides of inappropriate contact with Rod Blagojevich's office could help the embattled Illinois governor avoid impeachment.

Ed Genson, Blagojevich's lead attorney, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he plans to submit the report to the Illinois House committee considering impeachment of the governor.

Blagojevich is accused of trying to effectively sell Obama's Senate seat in exchange for campaign contributions or a lucrative job.

White House attorney Greg Craig found "there was nothing inappropriate that took place here, either in terms of conversations or communications or contacts, between transition officials and the governor's office."

Committee chair Barbara Flynn Currie suggested the Obama report would not clear the governor even if it shows he did not interact inappropriately with the president elect or his aides.

"Maybe in this particular instance someone didn't run a stop sign, but it doesn't say they didn't run a different stop sign," she said, according to the Associated Press.

The committee meets today at noon eastern time. Genson has been offered the chance to present evidence in Blagojevich's defense at the meeting.*

Though Genson urged the panel to subpoena Obama aides last week, Currie said Sunday that she would not do so, since it could jeopardize the criminal investigation.

As CNN reports, soon-to-be White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel would have been one of those receiving a subpoena. But because U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said such testimony could hamper his investigation, Emanuel, Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett and others will not be called to appear before the panel.

*UPDATE: The AP reports that Genson said at the meeting that while Blagojevich may have been recorded making some "unfortunate" remarks, impeachment would not be a justifiable action.

The governor's comments, as detailed in the U.S. attorney's affidavit, were "unfortunate talk, talk that shouldn't have been made perhaps," Genson said. But Blagojevich did not take any actions that would necessitate impeachment, he argued.

The attorney also said that Blagojevich "wasn't given enough time to prepare, wasn't allowed to call witnesses and didn't get to cross-examine people who testified," as the AP summarized it.

Genson added that the impeachment committee hearings weren't fair to the governor and said that the burden of proof for impeachment had not been made clear.

UPDATE 2: Fitzgerald today filed paperwork to release to the impeachment panel recordings of the wiretapped conversations detailed in the affidavit. If a judge agrees, a limited number of the conversations will be released to the panel in a redacted form.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by verycold December 30, 2008 2:39 PM EST: The big problem with this entire issue is that Blago was never given enough time to consummate the deal. They stopped the investigation way too early when it was just a bunch of swagger and talk. Clearly IL is a very corrupt state. I lived there for many years and my family is from there. It is a cesspool, but the people of IL seem to enjoy that title because they keep voting in thugs. The really sad part of all of this is that our next president worked for a long time in that cesspool and never exposed it for what it was.; Reply to this comment


by kaelinda December 30, 2008 7:15 AM EST: Blagojevich is, in America, supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, news media (including internet new media and blogs) have already convicted him, the state congress wants to impeach him, and the extreme right is working as hard as it can to implicate Obama in whatever it was Blagojevich was up to. What''s wrong with this picture? Blago is innocent until proven guilty. So is Obama.; Reply to this comment


by janefondu December 30, 2008 6:07 AM EST: Obama is dirty in this and he hasnt even been sworn as POTUS yet. Hurrah for the next 4. Not much change ahead but higher taxes.; Reply to this comment


by judyann915 December 30, 2008 2:16 AM EST: To ms1-1-1: YOU ROCK! I have been saying the same thing since day one. The Gov. didn''t do anything wrong. I still say he is going to come out of this smelling like a rose. GO GOV! DON''T EVER QUIT!; Reply to this comment


by debinok1 December 30, 2008 1:08 AM EST: Intent to commit a crime may carry a lighter sentence than committing the actual crime, but both are illegal.; Reply to this comment


by rank_n_file December 30, 2008 1:03 AM EST: People need to separate the ''impeachment'' process from the ''criminal'' process. Two different standards. Criminal law, state and fed, ultimately requires ''an act'' of some kind in furtherance of the ''threat'' to ''sell'' the Senate seat appointment. A ''threat'' standing alone is not enough because a person might ''abandon'' that plan before commiting the act. The DA has been silent about any evidence of that ''act'' in furtherance of the ''threat.'' So speculation is utterly pointless without that critical info. When you read the DAs statements he seems to be saying that he has abundant evidence of Blagi ''acts'' in furtherance of his ''threat'' to ''sell'' the Senate seat appointment. We''ll see eventually. Impeachment is a ''lock and load'' case.; Reply to this comment


by truth_police December 30, 2008 12:41 AM EST: The real danger here is that any finding concluding this dirt-bag has done nothing wrong will open the floodgates for an avalanche of crime in high office. Already we''re hearing BS media opinions about how fine the line is between legal and illegal conduct regarding "rewards" for the Senate seat appointment. Taking an "Office For Sale" position, no matter what the personal reward, must be deemed impeachable conduct. Despite idiot commentators to the contrary, this is not a close call. The only thing that could save Blagi is if the tapes are complete frauds.; Reply to this comment


by n1617216 December 29, 2008 6:48 PM EST: hello Sir or madam .we want the help from Barack Obama .please .I am a Sri lankan Tamil .Srilankan Tamil people have problem of Sri lankan goverment .please sent the American Officer to Tamil People Area Ask them What they Problem and Please help As Sir or Madam. I am not good in English .please try to eat my words and try to undersant please help As; Reply to this comment


by mcapek December 29, 2008 6:47 PM EST: Where is Emanuel by the way? In Africa on some long trip? What exactly did he say about his contacts with Blago? I am little confused, it seems like he was hiding from the newspeople, they were hounding him and his children or something.; Reply to this comment


by mcapek December 29, 2008 6:45 PM EST: What is this "internal report" worth? Close to zero in my opinion. It will be far more interesting how things play out in the courtroom and who else will be implicated in this sordid affair.
Hopefully FBI made good tape recordings of everything, and the prosecutor will proceed based on this and other evidence.; Reply to this comment