* Michael Sneed has some of the best federal prosecutorial sources in the business, so when she has a lede like this, you should pay close attention…
Sneed hears rumbles the feds have Gov. Blagojevich in their gunsights bigtime. “I’m told he’s next . . . they have the goods on him and they were expecting good things out of [influence peddler] Tony Rezko, if he was convicted,” said a Sneed source.
* The Sun-Times also had this brief bit…
Federal authorities plan to keep moving up the food chain. And they’ve already been scrutinizing Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund, his office’s hiring practices and real-estate deals involving his wife, Patti. The Rezko verdict gives them a green light to further pursue the Blagojevich administration, according to a source who said Wednesday of that probe: “We’re moving at full speed.”
* And in a much longer story, the Sun-Times looked into what the feds have done so far…
• Subpoenaed Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund.
• scrutinized his campaign contributions.
• Looked into real-estate transactions connected to the governor’s wife, Patti Blagojevich.
• Interviewed witnesses in other cases about their conversations with the governor. Among them: Ali Ata, who said in his plea deal that the governor knew he was getting a job after donating $60,000 to his campaign fund.
• Used a “mole” to get information from business people about contributions to the governor’s campaign.
There’s a whole lot more, but you get the drift.
* The Tribune editorializes…
It’s not clear how high in this governor’s domain the criminal behavior around him reached. What is clear is that federal agents and prosecutors are bound—and determined—to find out.
* Tom Roeser wrote this the other day…
the former federal prosecutor told me the feds are expected to offer a deal to both [Rod and Patti Blagojevich]. The governor will take a plea of an indeterminate lesser nature and resign in return for which his wife shall either not be prosecuted or receive a confinement sentence, allowing her to continue to care for their two daughters.
That’s been speculated for a while now, but rarely spoken in more than hushed tones. It’s something to consider, since the feds love to play extreme hardball.
* Another avenue might be impeachment…
The verdict also makes it more likely that legislators will continue to talk about impeaching the governor. The state Constitution gives the Illinois House the power to investigate impeachment, which already has started behind the scenes to “be prepared,” said House Speaker Michael Madigan last week “We’ve already done research on impeachment,” he said during a Statehouse news conference. “Our attorney, Mr. [David] Ellis, is chock-full of conclusions.” The Senate would have to approve an impeachment by a two-thirds majority.
* More…
Rep. Marlow Colvin (D-Chicago) said he doesn’t support an impeachment committee, but said based on conversations with colleagues, there are enough votes in the House to create such a panel. Still, Colvin said, the motivation goes beyond Rezko to those lawmakers who want Blagojevich to pay for his abrasive dealings with them.
Colvin is absolutely right about there being enough votes at the moment to create an impeachment committee.