Blagojevich Indicted On Corruption Charges

Impeached Illinois Gov., His Brother, 2 Ex-Aides And 2 Businessmen Accused Of Pervasive Fraud

(CBS/AP)  A sweeping federal indictment charges former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich with scheming to auction off President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, pressuring a congressman for campaign money and lying to FBI agents.

The 19-count indictment handed down Thursday against Blagojevich and others also alleges billions of dollars in state pension bonds were refinanced in exchange for the promise of a massive kickback, among other crimes.

Blagojevich issued a statement saying he is saddened and hurt, but not surprised by the indictment. He again asserted his innocence and said he will fight in court to clear his name.

Others indicted included the former governor's brother, his one-time chief fundraiser and his former chief of staff. Prosecutors did not indict the governor’s wife, Patty, as some speculated, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

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Read the indictment

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"It’s a sweeping indictment, broader even than the criminal complaint that preceded it late last year, involving more defendants, and if the former governor is convicted of even half the charges he’s looking at perhaps dozens of years in a federal prison," says CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen.

"It’s an indictment that reads as much like an organized crime takedown as it does a story about alleged government corruption and power," Cohen adds. "The strength is in the details the government says were involved in the scheme, the conspiracy, but of course those details will now be picked apart by Blagojevich’s attorneys in the run-up to trial and if we get that far before the jury."

"The complaint last year focused upon the people in power, the former governor and his aide, John Harris. The indictment includes them but adds other members of the alleged conspiracy, the people whom the government now says were willing or at least trying to pay for play. It’s a case now that essentially involves both sides of the coin," Cohen says.

"The defendants clearly have conflicting interests and I don’t think it will be too long before at least some of them start accusing or blaming the others for conduct that is at the heart of the case," Cohen says. "That’s a benefit for prosecutors, of course, and it may even generate some sort of plea deals before this case ever makes it to trial."

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called against Blagojevich and the five others "very serious."

Speaking at a news conference at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Quinn also said that those indicted Thursday are entitled to their day in court.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Roland Burris said the embattled senator is focused on his work in the U.S. Senate, not the indictment filed against the man who appointed him. Earlier in the day, Burris told reporters with The Hill newspaper who caught him coming off the floor from a vote that Blagojevich's indictment "has nothing to do with me."

FBI agents arrested the Chicago Democrat in December. Illinois lawmakers impeached him and threw him out of office in January.

Blagojevich has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

The Democrat's arrest meant curtains for his political career: The Illinois House impeached him Jan. 9. The Senate convicted him and removed him from office Jan. 29.

Rather than brood, he took off on a surprise tour of national television talk shows to proclaim his innocence.

His initial chief defense counsel, Edward M. Genson, resigned, hinting Blagojevich had ignored his advice to stay quiet. Blagojevich recently signed on Genson's law partner, Terence P. Gillespie.

Now the former governor is writing a book.

Blagojevich was first elected governor in 2002, promising "reform and renewal" with Ryan headed for federal prison.

[thincaboutit]

BLAGO & FRIENDS?
See Rod Blagojevich and an all-star cast in ?All-Star Jailhouse Rock? at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBdkTaoavXI

SEE MORE PARODIES AT http://parodyandson.blogspot.com

[hungryman9]

The fact that Obama has sidestepped this issue, despite the fact that it eclipses even economic concerns in the minds of Americans, is frankly appalling.

However, Obama's utopian dream of bipartisanship could rather quickly become his dystopian nightmare if another country ----- as Spain has just done ----- follows thru with its intent to issue arrest warrants for 6 top officials of the lawless, criminal Bush regime.

.
Posted by psy_war
============================
Obama knows that the day will come when some people will want to put him on trial. Probably already done enough to get arrested. Bush is no worse than Obama or his mafia friends.

[demongirl60]

Sheesh.... about time!

[FreddyBartholomew]

SavageWeiner is a mental disorder.

[gramto8]

Corey
Thank you for posting the list of scenarios. They are so true. We see it happen over and over every school year. No wonder kids are growing up with no respect for authority, and no empathy for their fellow humans.

[gmw7777]

Time to re-watch (or watch for the first time) Frank Capra's 1939 movie, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washgington" with Jimmy Stewart in the title role as a junior Senator who hasn't any expereince politically, but does have a lot of honesty, integrity and plain common sense. Claude Rains plays the (very sophisticated) senior Senator and tries to get "Mr. Smith" to cooperate with his dishonest graft and political machine by telling Jimmy: "You HAVE to go along--you can't depend on people to vote--half the time they don't!" And this was 1939 folks! When this movie was shown to the Senators at the time, they didn't really like it. Too honest for their blood!

[CnUHerMeNow]

The whole article could be "Blagojevich Indicted: Duh" and that's it. Why be wasteful?

[brianbwb-2009]

Here's an idea, let's investigate all the governors, senators, and representatives, I doubt you will find a single clean one. The system is so corrupt, and has been for so long that one has to be corrupt to get in, even those we like and respect have had to play "the game" to get to where they are.

Heck, the country itself began with a corrupt government, if anyone thinks that it was ever clean, they are sorely deluded, just ask the "Indian" people's descendants, or the descendants of African slaves.

[formrusmcsgt]

Interesting that charges against Ted Stevens were dropped as soon as he lost his see to Bebich. Anyone smell a rat?
Posted by aziridine at 4:53 PM : Apr 2, 2009

Forst of all, Stevens lost his seat in November.

Charges were dropped in March.

Don't have a calendar or can't figure out the one you have?

And yeah, DOJ smells a rat. That's why they're investing prosecutorial misconduct.

[Newster1]

Blagojevich issued a statement saying he is saddened and hurt, but not surprised by the indictment. He again asserted his innocence and said he will fight in court to clear his name. "


LOL get lost moron, you are GUILTY, you only need be saddened by your OWN corruptness, good luck in court defending your "innocence" LOL

[aziridine]

Nice. Chicago politics have always been a wonderful controlled study of what happens when democrats run the show. Whether its Opreation Silver Shovel, or the Santos Municipal bond scandal, Daley's brother pleading guilty with Kozubowski in the Hired Truck Scandal......now we have Blago and Roland Burris....yes, the same Roland Burris that who went rabid trying to have an innocent man (Rolando Cruz) executed, then laughed the matter off when Cruz was proven innocent...Tony Rezko and Obama...this list goes on and on....

...as I said however, all this does give us insight into what dems do when the are unopposed.
I am not a Republican, I'm an Independent free to call it as it is. If Blago hangs something on any of the Chicago crowd in Washington I will laugh.

Interesting that charges against Ted Stevens were dropped as soon as he lost his see to Bebich. Anyone smell a rat?

[jetjt1]

i would rather have him in congress at least he's an honest crook not like the rest of congress

[tincup356]

They better start coming up with just more than ONE corrupt government official.....The ones in Washington are the ones that need to be kicked out next,,,,ALL of them from BOTH parties, and EVERY ONE of the 44,000+ lobbyists.....we would not have ANY of the economic problems we have today......if lobbyists had not been bribing BOTH parties of congress for the last 45 years. There is nor a SINGLE elected official in Washington who has not sold legislation to the lobby dollar. They are ALL traitors and deserve to be charged with TREASON.

[bumpedoff1]

In the AP story 5 have been indicted I would like to see where this will lead all the chicago politicians. Will be running for cover and most here are firends of mr. obama.

[summarex]

Because the assembly has already thrown the guy out of office and barred him from running for anything, the pressure to convict the him will be monumental. I'm sure they're already talking all the steps necessary to ensure he doesn't get a trial in which there's a real possibilitry he might be acquitted. ie: a fair trial.

[kbbpll]

The frontpage says "Blagojevich Indicted On Corruption Charges", but the actual article says "Blagojevich Indictment Appears Imminent".

Breaking news!!! Maybe! Maybe not!

[edward1975-2009]

Blago can write his book from Jail.