Blago Lawyer: Subpoena Obama Staff

Attorney Says Testimony From Top Obama Aides Would Prove Gov. Did Nothing Wrong

(AP)  In a move intended to force public testimony from President-elect Barack Obama's inner circle, an attorney for Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked the Illinois House committee considering whether to impeach the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including Mr. Obama's incoming chief of staff and a senior adviser.

State Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, the committee's head, told The Associated Press Thursday that the panel received a letter from Blagojevich attorney Ed Genson asking members to subpoena Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett and more than a dozen others, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Currie said she didn't yet know what the committee's response to Genson's request would be. But she noted that legislators had already sought permission to interview people mentioned in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich, and the U.S. Attorney's office said no.

In a letter released earlier this week, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the impeachment committee not to delve into the criminal charges against Blagojevich, saying interviewing current or former members of Blagojevich's staff might jeopardize his criminal investigation.

It was not immediately clear Thursday how the request would apply to members of Mr. Obama's incoming administration.

U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Randall Samborn declined to comment Thursday.

Messages left Thursday for Genson, Jackson and attorneys for Jarrett and Emanuel were not immediately returned Thursday. The Obama transition team declined to comment.

Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on charges that he tried to sell Mr. Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. He has denied any wrongdoing and is ignoring scores of calls to step down, including Mr. Obama's.

None of the possible candidates for Mr. Obama's Senate seat — said to include Jarrett and Jackson — are identified by name in the complaint, but Jackson has come forward to say that he is the individual dubbed "Senate Candidate 5."

The congressman has said federal prosecutors told him he is not a target of their investigation.

Genson told the Chicago Sun-Times for a story published Thursday that testimony from Emanuel, Jarrett and Jackson would help prove the governor's claim that he didn't do anything wrong in his handling of Mr. Obama's Senate seat.

On Tuesday, Mr. Obama revealed that he, Emanuel and Jarrett met with federal investigators last week about Blagojevich. He also released an internal review that found no inappropriate contact with the governor's office by him or his staff.

Emanuel was the only Obama transition team member who discussed the Senate appointment with Blagojevich, and those conversations were "totally appropriate and acceptable," according to incoming White House attorney Greg Craig.

Currie said the House panel is next set to meet Monday but that telephone conversations among members were likely to occur in the meantime.

[ace_face1]

The best thing to come out of this is that Rod Blagojevich and Rahm Emanuel might take each other out in a bitter fight to the end. Good riddance to both of them.

Posted by prudentvoter at 08:15 AM : Dec 27, 2008

--------------

Are you posting this repeatedly to try to convince yourself or what?

[spinproof]

Republicans should get back to strategies of trying to win elections and not trying to use gimmicks and underhanded tactics to overturn and steal them using the Legal System! I see where all this is headed, like in 2000 when Bush stole the election with the help of the Courts, the Courts again will decide if Pres.-elect Obama can be sworn in and seated with this cloud over his Staff and himself if Gov. Blagojevich''s Lawyers are allowed to drag Obama''s Staff through a circus like Court Trial. There was all this excitement and euphoria over Pres.-elect Obama''s upcoming inauguration ceremony but sore loser and jealous Republicans inspired by anger and hate would rather dump buckets of cold water on events and America''s hope for a better future.

[alanrobisch]

Come towards the light
Posted by notfooled at 03:32 AM : Dec 27, 2008

Your light not on a bet. It is assumed that Obama hadn''t nothing to do with it but it is typical of liberals to brush off the errors of their own. Bill clinton perjured himself. thats okay. Ted kennedy committed involuntary manslaughter yet he gets reelected repeatedly why he''s a kennedy and a liberal.
Strom Thurmon was a memmber of the KKK. No problem he gets reelected for life. No problem he''s a democrat that brings home the bacon

[prudentvoter]

The best thing to come out of this is that Rod Blagojevich and Rahm Emanuel might take each other out in a bitter fight to the end. Good riddance to both of them.

[notfooled]

All of these neo-con whackjob wet-fantasies about Obama being involved in this scandal are somewhat amusing, maybe even comical, but mostly sad and pathetic whimpering from sore losers and frightened sheeple.

And

Even if by some far stretch of the imagination Obama would be involved .....

he''d have to murder over a million people to even begin to approach the disgusting behavior of Bush the Butcher of Baghdad.

Come towards the light ...

[clovisbuford]

Looks like Obama is going down. If Biden becomes president. I hope Sarah Palin will help him.
Posted by mr22258 at 10:31 PM : Dec 26, 2008I wish Obama was better than this. I wish I would have been wrong.
Posted by mr22258 at 10:28 PM : Dec 26, 2008
err whats evident is you are living in lala land ..next thing you will tell us , if government reuglation will stay out of the stockmarket and banks , quit stifling the free market the will regulate themselves .... cough ..however mr 22258 , Iam quiite willing to wager on the outcome of this case as far as obamas part in it ... you are a big rich "deregulattion" the markets dont need rules kind of guy , obviously wealthy because you are republican ..right? .. lets play .. you name the bet amount iam will say obama did not have any contact with blago Iwillsay emanuel wont ber indicted his conversatiuons wer above board .. and let you name the amount

[clovisbuford]

lol i thing blago and company are throwing anything out there that they think will cause the prosecution to settle , throw enough stuff out there to muddle the water , this is not about obama its about Blago and his lawyers throwing *** everywhere hoping enoughs sticks to make feds back off..it keeps it in the headlines , but ya got to think 3 things .. fitzgerald says no wrong doing , internal investigation says no wrong doing ..emmanuel and obama staff know .... yes know all the conversations were taped.... at this point to say oh no we didnt say that ,,knowing the feds have tapes would be suiciide... blago is going down ..probably negotiating how far he goes down ,,,,and his wife is on the line as well

[toolmangler-2009]

Is Blagojovich related to the Russian Mafia in any way?



I don''t know, but he is Serbian.

[us_1776]

Blago, subpoena anybody you want. We''ve already heard enough from these tapes to convict you in the court of public opinion. And in the political world that''s the only court that matters. You''re done bud. Just fold up your tent and move on.

[spinproof]

Republicans should try coming to power the fair and acceptable way instead of trying to come to power via gimmicks, dirty tricks, backdoor methods and abusing the legal process! Winning elections is the way its done. These Republican inspired scandal investigations look like a