BLAGOJEVICH TRIED TO SELL SENATE SEAT – INDICTED BY FITZGERALD

BLAGOJEVICH CHARGED WITH TRYING TO SELL OBAMA’S SENATE SEAT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER AND PURGE THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE of editorial writers he didn’t like.  Apparently Obama wouldn’t play ball with the corrupt Illinois Governor’s Senate-selling plan:

In a conversation with Harris on November 11, the charges state, Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them.”    

Fitzgerald released the above quote for a reason. “Senate Candidate 1” is Valerie Jarrett, an Obama campaign adviser who was originally reported to be Obama’s suggestion for his successor. She suddenly announced she didn’t want the seat, a few weeks ago and no one knew why. If you read Fitzgerald’s press release, it indicates that someone from the SEIU was willing to bribe Blagojevich to make sure that she got the seat, unbeknownst to her. She may have found out and withdrawn her interest in the seat for that reason.UPDATE: In Fitzgerald’s press conference a question indicated that Rahm Emanuel may have “tipped off” Fitzgerald about Blagojevich’s seat-for-sale scheme.

FROM THE INDICTMENT ITSELF:

By this time, media reports indicated that Senate Candidate 1, an advisor to the President-elect, was interested in the Senate seat if it became vacant, and was likely to be supported by the President-elect.  During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated, “unless I get something real good for [Senate Candidate 1], shit, I’ll just send myself, you know what I’m saying….And if I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.”  Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.” 

Spin this part, GOP:

ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is “struggling”  financially and does “not want to be Governor for the next two years.”  ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator.  Fuck him.  For nothing?  Fuck him.”  ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”Later in the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them.“