Carol Henrichs

The man who was elected by claiming he would reform Illinois government — Gov. Rod Blagojevich — was handcuffed and led away by FBI agents in the early morning hours Tuesday, Dec. 9, from his home on Chicago’s north side.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the same federal prosecutor who put another Illinois governor into jail, said at a news conference following Blagojevich’s arrest that the 40^th governor of the State of Illinois “has been in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree.”

Blagojevich, 52, and his Chief of Staff John Harris,  46, were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2008/pr1209_01.pdf that was sworn out Sunday and unsealed Tuesday, following their arrests by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI.

“It is a sad day for government. It’s a very sad day for Illinois government,” Fitzgerald said. “Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low.”

He explained how various agencies, including the Dept. of Justice, the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, the Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Dept. of Labor were involved in an ongoing investigation dating back to 2002.

It isn’t like Fitzgerald to go public with an investigation before it has been completed. But, he explained, “The agencies involved decided that this required unusual measures and there were a lot of things going on that were imminent.”

Fitzgerald referred to a 76-page FBI-affadavit when he described Blagojevich’s efforts to obtain personal gain, including financial gain from his activities.

“The conduct would make (Abraham) Lincoln roll over in his grave,” Fitzgerald said.

He cited several examples of the kind of activities of which Blagojevich was engaged as detailed in recorded conversations.

·               A $1.8 billion tollway project was announced at the same time that Blagojevich was privately seeking to have $100,000 in contributions raised.

·               Blagojevich considered retracting an $8 million contribution to Children’s Memorial Hospital because a $50,000 personal contribution requested failed to materialize.

·               Pending legislation concerning horse racing would take money from casino revenues and divert a percentage of it to horse-racing tracks. That bill was worth a $100,000 in contributions.

·               Blagojevich and Harris attempted to coerce the Chicago Tribune into firing its editorial board following negative editorials written about Blagojevich. The two schemed to send a message that if the Tribune company wanted state finances to help with a business transaction involving the sale of Wrigley Field, the price of doing so was to fire certain editors, including Deputy Editor John P. McCormick.

In addition to detailing examples of the allegations against the two, Fitzgerald said the most appalling conduct that Blagojevich engaged in was his attempt to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama – to the highest bidder. He explained that Blagojevich has the sole right under Illinois law to appoint Obama’s replacement.

According to the complaint, Blagojevich conspired to sell the senate seat in exchange for his wife’s placement on paid corporate boards paying upwards of $150,000 per year or his own placement at a private foundation in a significant position with a substantial salary.

The complaint states that Blagojevich has also been conspiring to sell the senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit organization that he would start and would employ him at a substantial salary after he left the governorship.

He was looking for a $250,000 to $300,000 salary.

He referred to his final two years of governor as “being stuck,” and admitting that he really didn’t want to be governor for two more years.

Blagojevich suggested that if he did not get anything of value, for the senate seat, he would take the seat himself.

“I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain,” Blagojevich said.

Naming himself was also mentioned as a way to avoid impeachment, which the General Assembly has been discussing.

 “Blagojevich stated that he would make his decision ‘in good faith,’ … but it is not coming for free … It’s got to be good stuff for the people of Illinois and good for me.”

In what was particularly appalling for Fitzgerald was Blagojevich’s comparison to his position brokering a seat in the U.S. Senate as that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams.

Valerie Jarrett was initially identified as senate candidate one. She was said to be Barack Obama’s first choice as his senate replacement. Once she withdrew her name from consideration, Blagojevich looked at five other candidates and the opportunities their appointments might pose for him.

State lawmakers are at the time of this writing, working on the most prudent way to strip the governor of his ability to appoint Obama’s successor.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has suggested that a special election be held. While Durbin did not initially call for Blagojevich to resign, stating that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty, he has since changed his mind. He and several other Illinois officials including: Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, Congresswoman-elect Debbie Halvorson who has not yet resigned as Illinois Senate Majority Leader, and President-elect Barack Obama are among those calling for Blagojevich’s resignation.

During the past several weeks, there had been a known investigation of the Blagojevich administration involving allegations of “pay-to-play” conduct. A probe had been ongoing for years. Phone taps and wire recordings by the FBI corroborate testimony received at the Antoin "Tony" Rezko trial which resulted in the conviction of Rezko, one of Blagojevich’s chief fundraisers.

An Ethics in Government Act bill, due to go into effect Jan. 1, 2009, which would prohibit certain contributions from people doing business with the state of Illinois was also at play.

“You might have thought government ‘pay to play’ would slow down,” Fitzgerald said, explaining that the opposite happened. “It sped up.”

Fitzgerald said Blagojevich and others worked feverishly to get as much money from contractors, shaking them down, before the end of the year.

Blagojevich remains Illinois’ Governor, at least for now. He had to appear in court Tuesday afternoon. He was released on his own recognizance and $4,500 bail. On the day after his arrest, he reported for work as usual.