>I’m stunned: Under Oath, Union Official Says Obama Lied About Blago Contacts

>.
Well, here’s the appeal set up. Failing to allow Blago to call Obama now will get any conviction overturned.

Thanks to Doug Ross # Journal for this tidbit.

Gee, What a Surprise: Under Oath, Union Official Says Obama Lied About Blago Contacts

Sitting down? I don’t want to catch you off guard, but a powerful Democrat union boss said that President-elect lied about not having contact with disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich about his vacated Senate seat.

Top union leader Thomas Balanoff said he was at dinner the night before the November Presidential election when he got a call that was blocked… So he didn’t take it.

Later he listened to his messages: “I walked outside, listened to it and it was from President Obama,” Balanoff said.

“Tom, this is Barack, give me a call,” the soon-to-be President-Elect said on the message… After Balanoff sent word through an Obama aide to call him back, Obama returned his call later that night.

“Tom, I want to talk to you with regard to the Senate seat,” Obama told him… Balanoff said Obama said he had two criteria: someone who was good for the citizens of Illinois and could be elected in 2010.

This brings to mind a little number I put up back in December of 08:

Thursday, December 11, 2008
MORE: Obama denies it, but the evidence is mounting: He DID discuss his replacement with Blagojevich
.
As reported on Little Green Footballs yesterday, evidence is mounting that President-Elect Obama lied when he in declared that he had not discussed his replacement with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Yesterday, the reference was to a TV station (KHQA) that had pulled two articles concerning these meeting(s) after Obama’s denials.

Today, the issue is a Chicago Tribune article dated October 30 that references a meeting between Obama… and Gov. Rod Blagojevich…. concerning the very thing that Obama has denied: a meeting with Blagojevich concerning Obama’s successor.

Hat tip to directorblue via Little Green Footballs.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

RED ALERT: Chicago Tribune article referenced Obama-Blago discussions on Senate Seat!

David Axelrod, KHQA and now the venerable Chicago Tribune all independently reported that Governor Blagojevich and Barack Obama held discussions regarding his Senate replacement. For those keeping score at home, this makes four different sources (KHQA had two articles on the topic) referencing one or more meetings, which Barack Obama said never took place. Who would you believe: me or your lying eyes?

_______________________________

All this crap just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside about our President.
.

>Burris called on to resign: How quickly the worm turns – "democrat" becomes synonymous with "corruption."

>.
Man oh man…. Remember the days?

The democrats were all about “Republican corruption.”

We never heard the end of it, as MSM kool aid drinkers dutifully carried the water that has resulted in the lowest rated Congress in American history.

And now, going against our better nature, we have accepted into the Senate one Roland Burris, scion of democrat former Governor Rod Blagojavich… and apparently infected with the same virus that most products of Chicago politics seem to have to a greater or lesser extent… like our own egomaniacal President, for example…

The problem? Apparently, Senator Burris, like many democrats these days, seemed incapable of telling the truth.

“Saturday’s disclosure by Burris reflects a major omission from his testimony in January when an Illinois House impeachment committee specifically asked if he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.”

Our president lied to us, for example, about this massive and horrific waste of money; this Generational Indebtedness Act, that is going to cost us trillions, but wasn’t important enough to allow any living human being to read.

Sen. Burris comes along and just “forgets” to mention that then Gov. Blagojavich’s brother wanted $10G for a “campaign donation,” that Burris claims he didn’t pay.

Even the new Governor of Illinois wants answers.

Are we now going to see the drum beat over democrat corruption? Or is it altogether too “taxing?”

Originally published Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 5:45 PM

Comments (12) E-mail article Print view

Illinois GOP leader calls on Sen. Burris to resign

Just as Illinois was moving past the agony and embarrassment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s ousting, the fellow Democrat whom Blagojevich appointed to the U.S. Senate was hearing calls for his own resignation Sunday amid allegations he lied to legislators.

By RUPA SHENOY

Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO —

Just as Illinois was moving past the agony and embarrassment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s ousting, the fellow Democrat whom Blagojevich appointed to the U.S. Senate was hearing calls for his own resignation Sunday amid allegations he lied to legislators.

Freshman Sen. Roland Burris released an affidavit on Saturday that contradicts his statements last month to a House committee investigating Blagojevich’s impeachment.

“I can’t believe anything that comes out of Mr. Burris at this point,” Rep. Jim Durkin, the impeachment committee’s ranking Republican, said at a news conference Sunday. “I think it would be in the best interest of the state if he resigned because I don’t think the state can stand this anymore.”

But an adamant and sometimes emotional Burris told reporters later Sunday that he hadn’t done anything wrong and never misled anyone.

“I’ve always conducted myself with honor and integrity,” he said. “At no time did I ever make any inconsistent statement.”

Gov. Pat Quinn, who advanced to the governor’s mansion after Blagojevich was ousted over corruption allegations last month, also called on Burris to explain the contradiction.

“My opinion is that he owes the people of Illinois a complete explanation,” Quinn said, according to spokesman Bob Reed.

More:
.

>Blago: the gift that keeps on giving – Sen. Burris committed perjury?

>.
Nifty little article out today, goes something like this:

Politics Home

Burris Says Blagojevich Wanted $10,000 Donation Before Senate Appointment

Sen. Burris didn’t make the donation but failed to disclose the request under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel

FOXNews.com

Saturday, February 14, 2009

in order to recommend a story, you must login or register.

29 Comments Add Comment

ShareThis

show_baynote_guide(“ArticleGuide”);

Rod Blagojevich’s brother asked Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign donations before Burris was appointed to the U.S. Senate by then-Gov. Blagojevich of Illinois, a Burris spokesman told FOX News.

Sen. Burris didn’t make the donation but failed to disclose the request under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported on its Web site Saturday that Burris made the disclosure in a new affidavit sent to the head of the state committee that recommended Blagojevich be removed from office.

According to the newspaper, the affidavit is dated Feb. 5 — three weeks after Burris was sworn in to fill President Obama’s former Senate seat.

Burris says he sent the affidavit to Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie when he realized his testimony before the committee wasn’t complete.

“There were several facts that I was not given the opportunity to make during my testimony,” Burris said in a statement provided to FOX News. “I voluntarily submitted an affidavit so everything was transparent.”

Burris says he had three conversations with Robert Blagojevich, who led the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund — and one of those likely was recorded by the FBI.

More:

______________________________________________________________

For the democrats, this really sucks. Their fringe-left nutters are demanding investigations into the Bush Administration… are they going to be so hot to trot to demand investigations into the messiah… and into this Blago-Burris scam?

Man… so much idiocy in such a small package.

>Blago impeached… and man, did he get screwed.

>.
Look… I’m no Blago fan. I’ve busted a cap in his butt here and here, among other places.

But I’m very big on process… and the process here sucks.

No one has yet explained to me why this guy was not allowed to face his accusers. No one has explained to me why he was not allowed to call witnesses. No one has explained to me why he wasn’t allowed to mount a Constitutional defense.

Hang this guy? You bet your ass. BUT NOT UNTIL HE IS ALLOWED TO DEFEND HIMSELF FIRST.

Even Judge Roy Been allowed the accused to bring witnesses in before he convicted and hung the accused.

Where’s the justice in any of this?

Folks, this was not a good day for America. They should have allowed him the right to present a defense. That they didn’t smacks of something unpatriotic… and UnAmerican.
.

>NW Republican’s got the latest on the Blago Senate Seat SALE!

>.
It was only a matter of time until someone found a way to make money off Blago’s shtick.

NW Republican’s got the latest on the Blago Senate Seat SALE!

Check it out for a yuk!
.

>The buzz increases: the buses are circling Rahm

>’
As I mentioned here on the 17th, I believed that Rahm Emanual, President-Elect Obama’s Chief of Staff, would be thrown under a bus in an effort to deflect scrutiny from his own actions in the Blago mess.

Well, it looks like Obama may be circling the buses. Expect Rahm to be gone… and soon.

Senate-for-sale case threatens new chief of staff

By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE and TAMMY WEBBER, Associated Press Writers Brett J. Blackledge And Tammy Webber, Associated Press Writers – Sat Dec 20, 6:41 pm ET AP – In this Dec. 1, 2008 file photo, White House Chief of Staff designate Rahm Emanuel listens to President-elect … CHICAGO – Gov. Rod Blagojevich is legendary in Illinois political circles for not picking up the phone or returning calls, even from important figures like the state’s senior senator, Dick Durbin.

But there was always one call Blagojevich regularly took, say his aides, and that was from Rahm Emanuel — his congressman, his one-time campaign adviser and, more recently — and troubling for Emanuel — one of his contacts with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition staff.

The friendly rapport Blagojevich and Emanuel shared over the years has suddenly become a troubling liability for Emanuel and the new president he will serve as chief of staff.

Emanuel and Obama have remained silent about what, if anything, Emanuel knew of the governor’s alleged efforts to peddle Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Emanuel did contact the governor’s office about the appointment and left Blagojevich with the impression that he was pushing Valerie Jarrett, a close Obama friend, so he wouldn’t have to compete with her in the White House for Obama’s attention, said a person close to Blagojevich. The person was not authorized to talk about the governor’s discussions regarding the vacancy and requested anonymity.

AP – In this Dec. 1, 2008 file photo, White House Chief of Staff designate Rahm Emanuel listens to President-elect …

It was not clear whether Blagojevich inferred Emanuel’s motive for advocating Jarrett, or whether Emanuel discussed the appointment with Blagojevich directly or with John Harris, the governor’s then-chief of staff who also is charged in the case, according to the source.

Emanuel’s refusal to discuss the matter publicly, and the few comments offered by Obama to date, have prompted questions about Emanuel’s ties to Blagojevich and what fallout he’ll face as the criminal case unfolds, although sources have said he is not a target of prosecutors. Even so, any hint of scandal for Emanuel threatens to tarnish Obama’s promise of new political leadership free of scandal and corruption.

More:

>Obama’s AG pick Holder and HIS "Inconvenient Truth."

>

.

With no apologies to Al Gore, I picked up this little nugget via NW Republican as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times: It seems that Mr. Holder “forgot” his relationship with erstwhile seat-seller Gov. Blago (D-Illinois)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Another Obama appointee under Blagojevich cloud

Oh crap… Now Obama’s choice as the “top cop” (Eric Holder) has storm clouds circling above him as well.

Read full Chicago Sun-Times story here.

Holder omitted Blagojevich link from questionnaire
Announced as a ‘special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board’ in 2004

Recommend (12) Comments
December 17, 2008

BY CHRIS FUSCO Staff Reporter/cfusco@suntimes.com

Before Eric Holder was President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to be attorney general, he was Gov. Blagojevich’s pick to sort out a mess involving Illinois’ long-dormant casino license.

Blagojevich and Holder appeared together at a March 24, 2004, news conference to announce Holder’s role as “special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board” — a post that was to pay Holder and his Washington, D.C. law firm up to $300,000.

» Click to enlarge image
Eric Holder (right) appears at a March 24, 2004, news conference with Gov. Blagojevich. (AP file)

Holder, however, omitted that event from his 47-page response to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire made public this week — an oversight he plans to correct after a Chicago Sun-Times inquiry, Obama’s transition team indicated late Tuesday.

“Eric Holder has given hundreds of press interviews,” Obama transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement. “He did his best to report them all to the committee, but as he noted in the questionnaire itself, some were undoubtedly missed in the effort to reconstruct a list of them.”

More:

___________________________________________

Can this country stand an Attorney General with such a terrible memory? As I recall, past AG’s with memory problems seemed to be objects of derision and scorn from the learned left. Will we hear the same when one of their own is so infected, or will their base hypocrisy rule the day as they maintain their thundering silence?

Thus continues the troubling and growing pattern of obfuscation. Why is this happening? I am increasingly concerned with such political ineptitude.

This guy Obama is SUPPOSED to be all that. Instead, he’s showing the instincts of a board fence.

I’m already looking back with fondness on the relative political superiority of Rove compared to this player. Rove wouldn’t have tolerated this kind of amateurish nonsense.

Clearly, Mr. Obama and his handlers are over their heads, as this boil on our Nation’s butt continues to grow and fester.

Where will it end?

>Things that make you go "HHhhmmmmm…." Illinois Democrats Let Blagojevich Keep Naming Power

>.
So, we have an “allegedly” corrupt Governor who was looking to sell his state’s US Senate seat like a cheeseburger on eBay.

We have a President-Elect who swears on a “transparent” stack of “change” that he hasn’t had any contact with the Governor (which is an outright lie) and that he hasn’t discussed any replacements; also, apparently, a lie.

Ooohhhh…. the outrage. Their were immediate demands for a “special election.” Pro-terrorist United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) (Famous for comparing the US Military with Nazis, Soviets and Pol Pot on the floor of the Senate) issued demands for a special election to determine President-Elect Obama’s replacement, since any replacement named by Blago would be tainted as it seems to be increasingly likely that the Obama Administration will be tainted (Folks, until the President-Elect is indicted…. and I believe he WILL be indicted… (How could you climb out of the cesspool that is Chicago Politics and not be illegal in some respect?)) as being a pawn of the corrupt Chicago machine.

Now, all of a sudden… the decision to go to a special election has been shelved! Now… why do you suppose that is? Why did Senator Durbin’s “principles” suddenly disappear as fast as Obama’s “transparency?”

Because somebody looked south to Louisiana. Somebody remembered the Jefferson-Cao congressional race, where a Vietnamese-American Republican actually won against a corrupt, 9 term incumbent democrat, William “Cold Hard Cash” Jefferson. They suddenly understood that the corruption they had railed against so much in the 06 cycle was now, to quote the good Reverend, “coming home to roost.”

They suddenly figured out that if they actually opened up this appointment to a special election, they would be handing this election to the Republicans. Now we have the the state of Illinois lying about lacking the funds to pay for a special election.

As a strategic matter, leftists depend on voters having the attention span of a nat. Time and again, they’ve been proven right. Obama, to quote one of his heroes, has become the opiate of the masses.

And how do I know all of this?

Illinois Democrats Let Blagojevich Keep Naming Power (Update1)

By Joe Carroll

Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) — Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives postponed stripping Governor Rod Blagojevich’s power to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama that prosecutors say Blagojevich tried to sell.

The governor, a Chicago Democrat, retains authority to appoint Obama’s successor while the House pursues an impeachment process that may last weeks. Democratic lawmakers led by House Speaker Michael Madigan dropped plans late yesterday to schedule a special election to fill the post after failing to agree in a closed-door meeting, said Steve Brown, a Madigan aide.

Blagojevich, 52, has resisted demands he resign since his Dec. 9 arrest by the FBI and accusations he tried to auction Obama’s seat for personal gain and intimidate the Chicago Tribune newspaper into firing editorial writers. Republicans said Democrats, who hold a 67-51 majority in the chamber, seek to avoid a loss of the seat to the GOP in a special election.

“Shame on you,” Representative William Black, deputy leader of Republicans in the House, shouted during a debate in the state capitol building in Springfield. “We had an opportunity to limit the power of this governor and you refused.”

More:

.

>This is "change we can believe in?" It’s starting to look like President-Elect Obama’s administration will begin with a foundation of lies…

>.
This stuff is really starting to anger me.

We have President-Elect Obama’s assurances that he has not had any conversations with Gov. Blogojevich concerning his replacement to the Senate.

That very statement… well…. how do I put this? How about “strains credulity?”

The very idea that the President-Elect would NOT let the Governor know his thoughts on this issue is simply incomprehensible.

Would you? Would I?

Yet that’s what the President-Elect would have us believe.

Exclusive of a picture taken of the President-Elect and the Governor together on December 2, which pretty much puts the lie to Mr. Obama’s assertion, made on December 9, that he “…had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”

Now we come to find out that pit yorkie and replacement for Governor Blagojevich’s congressional seat, one Rahm Emanuel, had done the very thing that Mr. Obama denies… had direct contact with the Governor.

Little Green Footballs is reporting The Chicago Tribune’s own story that “Rahm Emanuel talked with governor’s office about who should fill Obama’s Senate seat… Chief of staff for Obama had list of names.”

“List of names?” Really? Where do you suppose that list came from?

Folks, there’s only so many reasons why this crew would lie about all of this.

So much for “Change.” So much for Mr. Obama’s much vaunted and greatly hyped “transparency.”

His fumbling, bumbling and mishandling of this sorry but all-to-typical-for-democrats situation has a Keystone Cops element to it that sickens me.

I repeat: Mr. Obama’s administration will not survive his indictment. You heard it here first.

Rahm Emanuel talked with governor’s office about who should fill Obama’s Senate seat
Chief of staff for Obama had list of names

By Bob Secter
December 13, 2008

Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to be White House chief of staff, had conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration about who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate, the Tribune has learned.

The revelation does not suggest Obama’s new gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat. But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat?

Blagojevich and John Harris, his former chief of staff, face federal charges in an alleged shakedown involving the vacant Senate seat, which Illinois law grants the governor sole authority to fill.

Obama said Thursday he had never spoken to Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy and was “confident that no representatives” of his had engaged in any dealmaking over the seat with the governor or his team. He also pledged Thursday that in the “next few days” he would explain what contacts his staff may have had with the governor’s office about the Senate vacancy.

More:

>MORE: Obama denies it, but the evidence is mounting: He DID discuss his replacement with Blagojevich

>.
As reported on Little Green Footballs yesterday, evidence is mounting that President-Elect Obama lied when he in declared that he had not discussed his replacement with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Yesterday, the reference was to a TV station (KHQA) that had pulled two articles concerning these meeting(s) after Obama’s denials.

Today, the issue is a Chicago Tribune article dated October 30 that references a meeting between Obama… and Gov. Rod Blagojevich…. concerning the very thing that Obama has denied: a meeting with Blagojevich concerning Obama’s successor.

Hat tip to directorblue via Little Green Footballs.

Thursday, December 11, 2008
RED ALERT: Chicago Tribune article referenced Obama-Blago discussions on Senate Seat!

David Axelrod, KHQA and now the venerable Chicago Tribune all independently reported that Governor Blagojevich and Barack Obama held discussions regarding his Senate replacement. For those keeping score at home, this makes four different sources (KHQA had two articles on the topic) referencing one or more meetings, which Barack Obama said never took place. Who would you believe: me or your lying eyes?

Commenter Howdy pointed us to a Tribune article that references additional discussions between Obama and Governor Blagojevich regarding his Senate seat.

More:

In tennis, there’s a statistic for a screw up by one of the players. It’s called an “unforced error.”

That is what I believe this to be.

The idea that Obama hasn’t discussed his replacement is absurd on its face. Why would he lie about something so completely obvious?

I GET that politicians lie. But good God, did he really think he would get a way with this?

And now what? President-Elect Obama lied about taking public campaign financing… and now he’s lied about discussing this issue with Governor Blagojevich.

What else is he lying about?

You KNOW there is more to come.
.