Is there a media blackout, or is this this really no big deal?
Sweeping federal subpoenas of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration include requests for records involving David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisers to President Barack Obama.
Among 43 subpoenas released by the Blagojevich administration Friday, one from Dec. 8 seeks notes, calendars, correspondence and any other data that relate to Axelrod, Jarrett and 32 other people and organizations.
That was the day before the FBI arrested Blagojevich, a two-term Democrat, on charges that he tried to trade his appointment to replace Obama in the Senate for campaign contributions. Wiretapped conversations show Blagojevich thought Jarrett was interested in the seat and he wanted campaign money or a high-paying job in return, according to a sworn statement.
Obama’s staff released a report in December that said his staff had no inappropriate contact with the governor’s office about the Senate seat, nor was anyone aware of any dealmaking. Axelrod, a Chicago political strategist now in the White House, was not mentioned in the report.
I don’t watch much TV, but googling produces no stories about this at CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News and very few stories anywhere else.
And does it mean anything that the story I linked to above in the Quad City (Il) times has now apparently been deleted? WTF is going on here?
If Blagojevich was asked to produce information on contacts with Axelrod, Emanual, and Jarrett, does that mean those three Obama aides also received subpoenas? That is what this guy seems to be claiming (h/t Cannonfire)
The story says that Blagojevich’s appointment calendar was also subpoenaed. Does that mean that Fitzgerald now knows that Obama was lying when he claimed he never met with Blagojevich to discuss filling Obama’s vacant Senate seat (meeting reported in another scrubbed story)?
I’m just asking questions here, because IANAL. Will someone with legal knowledge please help me out?
Update 1: I don’t know what happened, but the Quad City Times story is back up now. But this time I’m getting a screen shot.
Update 2: Here is another story on the Freedom of Information Act release.
Commenter Fif found an additional story at a Chicago TV station site.
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
I think that there is two things here — Blagojevich was found guilty by the media on the say so of the Prosecutors office –Now I don’t know about you, but that’s not a fair trail. He was also convicted because he used *bad* language and his wife too! How dare that evil woman use bad words around children so they must be guilty.
IMHO, if the Senate seat was up for sale and people were *biting* ala Chicago style politics — Then where are the other arrests? Because in order for their to be a sale there must be a person buying. Sure JJJr was an informant but not on this case. He got caught with his pants down. Where is his arest?
Second – The media has made Blagolevich into a mad man — How dare he want to wait to the trail, didn’t he know that the press tried him and found him guilty?
I don’t trust anyone saying *Nope I am not guilty*
I fail to see the difference between this and the contributions to the SD’s during the primary. Isn’t this how politics is done?
I think that the MSM is hushing the Blago scandal. Remember, this is supposed to be Obama’s HoneyMoon period, so of course they’re going to shut down the story.
THE OBAMA PROPAGANDA must stop – c’mon Blago, spill the beans already!!!!!!!!
jjm,
I’m just asking questions about the subpoenas and what they mean. IANAL, but we do have some lawyers who post and comment at TC. I’m hoping they will have answers to my questions. I wish I had a screenshot of that story that disappeared for about an hour. I’m guessing something was edited.
The Quad Cities story is at this link.
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Thanks, Carolyn, but the story definitely disappeared for some time. I was checking out right wing sites and their links didn’t work for awhile either. The story was taken down temporarily. Believe me or not, I don’t mind.
OMG, the only coverage was DELETED. And put back,
even stranger. And no other coverage. Wow.
Good work, bb, finding this.
I’ve been wondering why we’ve heard nothing from
Fitzgerald since November. Nothing.
No more Woodward and Bernsteins. Now reporters
can’t even investigate a story when it’s right in front of
them.
speaktruth,
There was other coverage, but I kept watching over the weekend, and only a few newspapers reported it. There was a brief story in the International Herald Tribune, there was the AP story I linked to, and there was a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, which I linked in Update 2. I assume the Chicago Tribune covered it, but I couldn’t find a story.
I posted two comments over the weekend asking if anyone had seen it reported on TV. Maybe it’s no big deal. I don’t expect it to affect Obama one bit. I just want to understand what this means. No lawyers responded to my questions in comments, so I thought I’d try a post. Maybe Angie or Heidi Li will have an opinion.
This one was up this morning too from NBC in Chicago:
Top Obama Aides Subject of Blago Subpoenas
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/blagojevich-subpoena-012309.html
& did you see this one? This country has lost it’s ever-lovin’ collective mind:
Blagojevich Says He Thought Of Oprah for the Senate
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/US/story?id=6730220&page=1
Well I have a TV program on that I never would watch in a million years- THE VIEW. Blago will be on today. I am dry heaving as I type. Just heard Joy defend Caroline Kennedy and say she should run in MA. She also implied that no one except New Yorkers are aware of who Andrew Cuomo is. Especially the cave people in Wyoming.
Did you know that he gave a press conference last week and the local stations here in Chicago did not run it?
bb,
I think it is a big deal, aside from technical legal questions,
which I don’t know about.
But there are definite possible links between Blago and
Obama administration. Corruption, pay to play. Who’s
involved. Definite big deal. Biggest deal though is it’s
cover-up, or non-coverage, which makes it seem not
a big deal.
My comment earlier was I didn’t expect anything to
come of it, because it’s been so long, Obama is POTUS,
why bother. Maybe I swallowed some koolaid, too,
because that’s the story.
After what we have seen this year, I do not think Obama could do ANYTHING unethical or even illegal and be held to account for it. As others have been saying, the corporatist media and the Village are too invested in his success, since they created it. To implicate him in something would be admission of guilt, and they will never do that.
I remember looking for that story as well and it wasn’t there right after Blago’s arrest.
speaktruth,
We should still bother. If we are to have any hope of living in anything resembling the Republic our founders created, we can’t let the Obamamedia completely control the news.
I don’t want to have to experience Obamageddon. LOL!
speaktruth> Even Bernstein and Woodward aren’t what they used to be. And didn’t you see that exchange between Joe Scarborough, John Harwood, and Mike Barnicle (and a silent Pat Buchanan!) They have a “gut instinct” that Blago did it all by himself and there’s no need to investigate. They’ve already got their man. Instead they have their reporters still in Alaska following Palin’s children.
Afrocity,
Good luck keeping your breakfast down while watching the View. Ugh!
John Kass at the Chicago Tribune has a story on Blagoevich and says Blago is about to “go nuclear”:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-bd-25-jan25,0,5239555.column
Thanks, jules. I read that, but I didn’t see anything about the subpoenas. The stories all say that Blago fought to keep them secret. I hope he turns on Obama, but I’m not holding my breath.
Subpoenas are for witnesses and/or any tangible evidence and/or documents they may possess.
They compel the witness to testify and/or produce the evidence.
afrocity: I used to enjoy the View and Joy, but she has come unhinged this past year. What is simpering Barbara saying about Caroline K and about Blago?
myiq,
I know what subpoenas are. But do you think Axelrod and Jarrett got subpoenas too, or just Blago? Because we do know that all the relevant Obama aides met with Fitzgerald.
bostonboomer: What do you make of this line in Kass’s article: “And he went so far as to pressure President Barack Obama by demanding he be allowed to call the president’s political operatives as witnesses, which the legislature has denied him as per the request of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, so as not to damage the pending criminal case against the governor.” Do you think that refers to the subpoenas in question?
Jules,
No, I don’t think so. Blago asked to have all those people testify weeks ago, and Fitzgerald asked the State Senate not to allow it. Of course Obama might have like it if it happened, because then they could all get their fake stories on the record before Fitz makes them testify.
I meant that the non-coverage is the story, bb. Agree we
should stay on it.
Agree, DYB.
I hope John Kass is right. It’s taken so long I’ve lost
what little hope I had that something would happen.
Just shows how easy it is to be lulled into complacency
and apathy.
Another legal headache (someone posted it at Hillaryis44):
Jan 26, 6:15 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Homeland Security Department still is requiring high-level approval before federal immigration agents can arrest fugitives, a rule quietly imposed by the Bush administration days before the election of Barack Obama, whose aunt has been living in the United States illegally.
The unusual directive from the Homeland Security Department came amid concerns that such arrests might generate “negative media or congressional interest,” according to a newly disclosed federal document obtained by The Associated Press.
The directive makes clear that U.S. officials worried about possible election implications of arresting Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of Obama’s late father, who at the time was living in public housing in Boston. She is now believed to be living in Cleveland.
A copy of the directive, “Fugitive Case File Vetting Prior to Arrest,” was released to the AP just over two months after it was requested under the Freedom of Information Act. It does not mention President Obama or any members of his extended family.
The directive is still in place, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Kelly Nantel told the AP. It originally was distributed Oct. 31 by e-mail to immigration officers by an assistant director at the agency. Obama was elected president five days later.
SNIP
The White House said late Sunday that Obama “has not contacted any government agency regarding Ms. Onyango’s case, nor has any representative of the president.” It said Obama’s administration wasn’t briefed on why the directive was issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will consider whether to overturn it.
“Like other rules and directives issued by the previous administration, it will be reviewed and revoked if it does not serve the best interests of the American people,” the White House told the AP.
SNIP
Obama’s aunt was instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya.
SNIP
Despite the deportation order, Onyango traveled to Washington last week for her nephew’s inauguration. News organizations observed her attending an inaugural ball at Washington’s Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, a historic luxury hotel, with her immigration lawyer, Margaret Wong.
The AP was first to disclose Onyango’s illegal status Oct. 31, hours after the Homeland Security directive was issued.
SNIP
The government’s Oct. 31 directive was “effective immediately and until further notice,” and required that immigration agents obtain approval from ICE field office directors or deputy directors before arresting fugitives. An approval would depend on an internal review that would consider, among other issues, “any potential for negative media or congressional interest.”
“A hold on any actions to proceed with arrest will be placed in the case file until I can review the case and evaluate the impact of the potential media or congressional interest,” wrote the assistant field operations director for immigrant detention and removal.
Nantel said there was never any direction that officials should not take action on an enforcement issue. It clarified that potentially high-profile cases needed to be coordinated with the agency’s senior officials.
The Homeland Security Department censored parts of the document before turning it over to the AP, citing privacy and law enforcement reasons for withholding some of the information, including the name of the person who sent the e-mail. It also blacked out the names of recipients of the directive, making it impossible to determine whether it was sent to anyone outside the department or outside government.
SNIP
President Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., left the future presidential nominee when the boy was 2, and they reunited only once – for a monthlong visit when the president was 10. The elder Obama lived most of his life in Kenya, where he fathered seven other children with three other wives. He died in a car crash in 1982.
President Obama was raised for the most part by his mother and her parents in Hawaii. He first met his father’s side of the family when he traveled to Africa 20 years ago. He referred to Onyango as “Auntie Zeituni” when describing the trip in his memoir, saying she was “a proud woman.”
I’m in spammy at 11:27!
OK, bb, got it.
A great quote from Kass:
“This isn’t to say the governor is some noble cowboy. He’s anything but. Yet since he’s a loyal reader, I’m advising him to change his plans and actually show up in the state Senate on Monday and publicly call each of them out before they squash him.
“Let’s talk about that Bottle Service Bill,” the governor might begin, “You know, the bill the Rush Street guys wanted allowing Reserve and other clubs to provide bottle service, and charge the suckers $500 for a $50 bottle of vodka. I remember how it started, up in my office, and who was there, and why. So let’s talk.”
I’d pay to see it. I’d even pay a janitor to clean the carpet after a few esteemed legislators lost their lunch. “
It’s just my gut feeling, but I think Blago could take down a whole bunch of Obama folk if he wanted. Possibly he’s posturing as such, hoping that those same folks come to his rescue before it’s too late.
To believe that all these people could be playing in the same sandbox and not come out covered in sand is beyond belief.
Though I am not home during the day, I boycott the View when ever possible. I even started to like Elizabeth Hasselback. She’s got her some guts.
I don’t have experience in federal criminal procedure but since their is no trial set I’m guessing the subpoenas were for the grand jury. The Feds use grand juries as an investigative tool.
The issuance of a subpoena requires a reasonable belief that the witness possesses relevant and material information. Often the belief is “formed” by interviewing the witness.
IOW – The FBI and/or prosecutor talks to then witnesses, then decides whether to subpoena them to testify/produce evidence.
MYIQ:
So based on whatever the grand jury verdict is, that will decide whether the case gets tried or not?
I respect any of the conservative panelists they have on “The View” because it’s a snake-pit in there and the conservatives are outnumbered. In fact, for a while they didn’t even have a conservative (when Lisa Ling was the youngest panelist.) I remember they auditioned several “Republicans” to take Ling’s seat and settled on Hasselback. I wish it was someone more informed and articulate. But it certainly takes guts and chutzpah to sit there day after day.
sm77:
Grand juries deliver indictments, which contain the charges against the defendant.
It seems to me this would be a very big deal. They are going to have to testify in front of a grand jury.
That would seem to indicate that Fitzgerald thinks they have something to say.
👿
btw – wouldn’t it be ironic if Jarrett and Axelrod claimed ‘executive privilege’ in order to avoid the subpoenas?
Why not – Josh Bolten and Harriet Miers avoided Congressional subpoenas that way.
(barf)
http://www.globemagazine.com/story/295
In the is this possible department:
The Globe, which is probably an English tabloid, has the headline;
“Breaking News: The Shocking Secrets that Could Destroy Obama’s Presidency.”
In a blockbuster Special Report, insiders rip the lid off the scandals about where Obama was REALLY born, his sex life, drug abuse and the mysterious past he’s hiding from the world. The new President has artfully dodged some of the most serious questions ever posed to a Commander-in-Chief. But top political leaders are demanding answers NOW – and the mounting pressure could trigger a firestorm that will bring down his administration. Don’t miss a single word – only in GLOBE!
bb, the “news blackout” reminds me of the Valerie Plame grand jury, trial, etc. If you remember, only the blogs were following the story at all until the trial. Remember, we don’t have real news anymore from the press, only infotainment. Unfortunately, Blago’s public PR campaign allows the press to focus on the man, not the crime.
Witnesses before a federal grand jury are under oath, just as they are at a trial, and are subject to penalties of perjury if they lie. They are not allowed to have counsel in the jury room, either. Their lawyers can be outside in the hall, and they can leave the room to consult them, but no one but the jurors, the officers of the court (magistrate, prosecutors, clerk) and the witnesses are present. Jurors are allowed to ask questions of both witnesses and court officers.
It’s one of those oh-to-be-a-fly-on-the-wall situations.
It’s deja vu all over again! Welcome to Bush’s third term. Yep, the media is going to play along like the puppets they are. We can only hope that Blago decides he doesn’t feel like “taking one for the team.”
Love John Kass. Also Paul Krugman. As for the rest, a majority of so-called journalists have morphed into unabashed bodyguards and cheerleaders for The One. Their likely rationalization: it’s for the Good Of The Country. This is one of the most disturbing aspects of the whole Obama charade. Good thing some of us adamantly refuse to shut up and go along.
CB – I just tried to click that link – it’s already been removed!
Speaking of Krugman – right again about Mitch McConnell’s “bipartisan” schtick.
Key quote:
LOL!
BB,
Just as a reminder, it was the grand jury testimony or lack thereof that ultimately produced the Libby guilty verdict. Patrick Fitzgerald said he could not prosecute the real culprits who leaked Plame’s identity -because- Libby had lied during grand jury testimony.
I think the whole Libby scenario from start to finish needs to be kept firmly in people’s minds now as a template for the Blago/Obama senate seat issue. One problem: Firedoglake were the stars in reporting the Libby case but were then and are now unapologetic sexists, as well as having liberally drunk of the Kool Aide since then. I can’t quite see them taking this on.
Fif
Blago has me in stitches. Senator Oprah…….how funny is that. Then Illinois could replace its rock star senator with an ego with a TV star with an ego. It is too darn perfect.
Pretty much O/T, but I just discovered a terrific site – newgeography, and terrific commentary from Joel Kotkin on the alarming DC power grab:
http://www.newgeography.com/content/00547-height-power-the-washington-fiefdom-looms-larger-than-ever
CB, on January 26th, 2009 at 12:11 pm Said:
*****
That was a good read. The comments sound like a lot I’ve heard before. The Obama apologists haven’t hit them hard yet.
Blago isn’t going quietly…Rahm and Vallerie can’t be having peaceful nights.
“At the same time, Blagojevich said “some national figures like Harry Reid,” the U.S. Senate majority leader from Nevada, “are frankly covering their own backside” by asking him to step down because of their discussions with him over the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. Blagojevich is accused of trying to peddle the seat for an Obama administration post, a high-paying job or other favors.
“And for me to just quit because some cackling politicians want to get me out of the way because there’s a whole bunch of things they don’t want known about them and conversations they may have had with me ….. would be to disgrace my children when I know I’ve done nothing wrong,” Blagojevich said in a transcript of the interview.
Blagojevich also maintained that some of the state senators who will decide his political fate don’t want him to present defense witnesses.
“Let me say there are some of those that are sitting in on judgment of me on Monday in the state Senate that were on telephone calls with me during that period of time” when his phones were tapped, Blagojevich said.”
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/01/senate-trial-looms-blagojevich-unbowed.html
(The Other Sheri): Was watching Diane Sawyer interview Blogo this morning on GMA. She did not treat him like a person who is innocent until proven guilty. He was calm and cool.
It was time for a commercial break – they would be right back and he was going to name the witnesses that he wanted at the trial (and said they won’t allow him to call). I never saw anymore of the interview – it was gone, never to return until Good Morning America was over (or at least the Blago part). I thought it was odd. I have Direct T.V. It was blacked out.
I’m not tryin’ to be tin foil hatty here; but, just sayin. We’ll see what happens on The View (which I can hardly stomach anymore).
Interesting how selective coverage is. Or even, coverage of coverage. For instance, i saw a page one today, I knew you’d enjoy. I looked for it on line and it was mysteriously missing. So, I took my camera and here it is for you
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/hill-and-gill-break-bread/
Gimmee a B. Gimmee a L. Gimmee an A. Gimmee a G. Gimmee an O——–Gooooooooooo Blago——-
I am so gonna cheer this guy on. I hope he exposes the whole hypocritical lot. That they happen to be Obama administration officials and Obama cheerleaders is a bonus.
I’m really beginning to wonder just how guilty Blago actually is, of anything other than playing the usual games with the usual suspects. This guy is fighting back hard and very publicly, which lends weight to the theory that he’s the fall guy in a huge effort to deflect attention from Obama and his history of deep entrenchment in the Chicago Way. This has all the hallmarks of something really nasty and ugly, something which doesn’t reflect well at all on the nation’s darling. How far will they go to protect this fraud in the Oval Office? Guess we’ll find out. Or maybe not.
i dont care what blogo did anyone that can cause obama . that much pain cant be all bad
(The Other Sheri): Well, I thought perhaps the Great Bawbwa Wa-Wa would interview in an ethical manner; but, she does, indeed, have the ability to “keep up with the times” and prove his guilt on T.V. Nice. Everytime he mentions the names Rahm Emmanuel, Valerie Jarrett, the interviewer (whether Bawbwa or Diane) interrupts him. Everytime. That’s the exact time that the GMA was blacked out.
(the Other Sheri): Why am I in moderation? I’m watching The View now as Walters interviews Blago.
Thanks for all the comments. The subpoenas that were released were orders for Blago to produce information relevant to the inquiry, not for grand jury testimony per se. Included were requests for Blagos appointment records, which would have included his meeting with Obama the day after the election. I also have a screen shot of Blago’s website where he posted about that meeting. Obama told the media he never met with Blago regarding the appointment of the new Senator. But he in fact did. Did he lie to Fitzgerald about it too? I assume Obama isn’t that stupid.
Another interesting point in the story is that info was subpoenaed from Blago regarding contacts with Axelrod, yet Axelrod was not mentioned in the Obama whitewash report. Does that mean they couldn’t completely clear Axelrod?
I will be following this story.
Kat5,
I can’t help but think that Blago’s PR campaign is aimed at letting Obama know that he is not going to go away quietly. If he doesn’t get money or influence from Obama, he could start talking to Fitzgerald.
Sheri,
I thought I let you out. I’ll doublecheck.
The whole entire thing is just too hypocritical. Are there any Americans left that don’t believe that our government isn’t bought and sold in backroom deals? Who doesn’t for a minute believe Congressfolk get together behind closed doors and wheel and deal and play the game if you scratch my back then I’ll scratch yours? I mean seriously. There IS a reason why after Congress people get out of the Congress, they usually get cushy jobs as lobbyists.
Dick Fuld, the guy who got fired as head of Lehmann Bros. recently, just sold his $13 million house to his wife for $100. Is that legal? Old people who want to transfer their property to their children have to do at at the real value of the home.
http://cityfile.com/dailyfile/4055
If they owned it jointly, yes.
madamab> Would “executive privilege” apply since Obama was not yet President? And were Rahm and Jarrett even Obama’s advisors yet?
That story about the Bush order to not go after “high-level” illegal aliens was quite interesting.
Bush II preparing the way for Bush III
plural,
I can’t believe that would be legal if they owned it jointly. Then anyone could do that to avoid taxes and lawsuits.
Puma in Seattle,
The order to not arrest illegals was given right before the election so that his aunt wouldn’t be arrested. The reason that was given at the time was that Bush didn’t want it to hurt Obama’s chances. How revealing is that. Bush didn’t seem to care about helping McCain.
I don’t know if madamab is still around, but it looks like the NY media (not just NYT) is doing their damnedest to bring Paterson down. They are reporting that his poll numbers are tanking and he cancelled a trip to Davos because of the embarrassment of how badly he supposedly handled the appointment.
BB:
It’s caled a fraudulent conveyance if it’s done to frustrate creditors..
bostonboomer: Gary wrote a terrific post about the NYT’s attempts to slam Paterson: http://garychapelhill.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/obama-gets-pwned-and-the-old-gray-lady-is-pissed/#comment-2032
BB,
He was just doing a little prelitigation planning — something akin to estate planning without the ultimate bromide of death. What he did was to add another level of discovery and litigation should he be found to be personally liable over and above his D&O and E&O coverage. Of course, that adds other levels of litigation on whether or not his decisions before and after the meltdown were in the furtherance of good faith and prudent business decisions or were actions not covered be insurance, i.e. fraud or personal gain.
BB:
Under some circumstances such a transfer can be considered a taxable gift too.
Transfers of significant assets like that are also done, more often to the kids, to lower the income and assets enough to qualify for state long-term-care coverage. Aka Medicaid. In community property states it doesn’t work to give/sell your assets to your spouse, though. So the kidlets get the goods and mom or pop end up in a mediocre or bad nursing facility, where the care is paid by Medicaid. In other words, paid through our taxes.
It’s a despicable but all-too-common practice.
bb — I’m not a lawyer either, but I know when I’m being Obamboozled, and this is a news blackout. You are not losing your mind.
I began to realize last week, after the holy inauguration that we will have to be constantly and fervently vigilant when partaking of any “news” source from now on. The brainwashing is in full-force, and information control and censoring is absolutely happening in every venue — except this blog.
Puma in Seattle,
I don’t know about other states, but in MA, if you tranfer your house to your kids and then you go into a nursing home in less than two years, the state can still put a lien on the house.
I don’t know if you have dealt with this situation, but I have. For elderly people, their medicare also covers part of the cost. Most people simply have no choice but to do that. I personally do not want elderly people dying on the street or lying dead in their homes for long periods. I want to live in in a civilized country. We need national health care. It would be far cheaper in the long run for taxpayers that the ridiculous system we have now.
AFAIK, a joint owner can sell to the other owner for whatever they decide on, but they can’t sell to a third — non owner — person the same way.
So it’s different when non-owner children are involved.
But it no doubt depends on state law.
I believe I could type the following statement in comments on every post talking about Obama.
I vividly recall the use of the descriptive word “Liar” quite routinely during the entire primary season. Obama’s first statement after Blago’s arrest was the HE HAD NEVER SPOKEN WITH BLAGO ABOUT HIS REPLACEMENT PICK!!! Then, it’s so easy to be a liar when the media refuses to hold one accountable to truth.
No blackout, it’s Illinois. This is how our politicians conduct business. So, no, not a big deal. I think the Obamaens worry that we get to see how you have to get ahead in Ill. politics. The fact that he got somewhere, coming from here means he ain’t clean either. They worry it will tarnish his fairyland rep.