The Capitol Fax Blog » Blagojevich’s cover story doesn’t hold up

Blagojevich’s cover story doesn’t hold up

Wednesday, Sep 9, 2009

* Once again, the national media is massively failing to press Rod Blagojevich on his lies.

For instance, Blagojevich is now repeating his claim that the tapes released by the FBI regarding the alleged sale of Barack Obama’s US Senate seat were taken “out of context.”

The ousted former governor used the same “out of context” phrase during his last media tour, but never really explained what he meant. This time, he has a cover story.

Blagojevich’s new explanation is that he wasn’t trying to sell the Senate seat, but was instead attempting to put together a “political deal” involving the appointment of Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the seat in exchange for her father’s agreement to passing a capital bill and expanding health care…

Blagojevich said he might subpoena White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Senate Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez to back up his version of what happened.

He said he discussed his [Madigan] plan with all of them.

Well, sure, that was Blagojevich’s final plan. But that plan existed solely in his head. It wasn’t as if the plan would’ve or could’ve become reality.

Illinoisans know that Speaker Madigan did not trust Blagojevich at all, refused to be in the same room with Blagojevich and hadn’t returned his calls in months. But the national press isn’t bringing up that important problem with Blagojevich’s cover story.

Also, there’s that little problem of Blagojevich saying on tape that he wanted to make money off the appointment, either via an appointment to the Obama administration, a big union job or a sweet deal for his wife.

Neither of those all-important points were brought up when Blagojevich was interviewed this week by Harry Smith on CBS News’ The Early Show. Instead, Smith responded…

“So, you’re not corrupt. There’s no corruption. There was never any corruption in your administration.”

Great follow-up there, Harry. I’m sure you’re now in line for an Emmy.

Smith even chuckled at Blagojevich’s “funny” lines and complimented him on his spin.

Unreal.

* Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren was more interested in talking about Blagojevich’s father-in-law than pressing him on the blatant inconsistencies in his main argument. But she did bring up a good point to Blagojevich when he blamed the US Attorney’s office for not releasing all the surveillance tapes…

VAN SUSTEREN: Here’s an idea, here’s an idea — file a motion that says now that you have the tapes, because that was before, but file a motion to have the protective order lifted, because there are certain rights that you have, as well. So you might convince the judge to release it now.

BLAGOJEVICH: I do not know if you have any free time on your hands. We’d love to have you — add you to our legal team, Greta.

But I should tell you that the media has made those requests, and thus far they have been unsuccessful.

VAN SUSTEREN: But that’s not the media. That’s you. It’s different if it comes from you than the media. But that is for another day.

That’s for another day? Great.

Note to Van Susteren: Blagojevich isn’t at all interested in the full truth. He’s interested in selling books.

* Blagojevich-related quote of the day…

“Rod Blagojevich continues to be a disgrace and an embarrassment to the people of the State of Illinois,” said Terry Ekl, attorney for Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, John Harris, who recently pleaded guilty to corruption charges and plans to testify against his old boss. “There’s no reason to believe anything that either comes out of his mouth or is contained in his book.”

Amen to that.

* Also, if you want to know what’s in Blagojevich’s book but refuse to spend money on it, Eric Zorn has blogged the entire thing. Go read it.

* Related…

* Wis. court disbars Hurtgen, figure in Blagojevich probe: The Wisconsin Supreme Court says Hurtgen was not acting as an attorney in the pay-to-play scheme, but his actions violated the public trust.

* Marin: Decision time for Blago fund-raiser Kelly

* Chris Kelly pleads guilty to O’Hare scheme

* Christopher Kelly pleads guilty a second time this year to federal charges

* Former Blagojevich adviser Chris Kelly pleads guilty to kickback scheme

* Blagojevich Associate Pleads Guilty in Separate Case

- posted by Rich Miller

28 Comments

- bored now - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:09 am:
it’s great that zorn blogged the book, but who would want to read it? unless, of course, you had to…

- Chi Gal - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:10 am:
I was really disappointed in Greta last night. She usually is a much better interviewer. Blago just marched all over her with his talking points. Frankly, Fox should have charged him for the on-air promotion time.

- Hollis Elmore - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:13 am:
Blagojevich is truly crazy!
Networks and media outlets are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Hope some interviewer(s) calls him on the carpet.

- Garbage! - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:30 am:
Sensationalism or Journalism?
The media (networks & print) have lost sight of reality and their responsibilities to their viewers and readers.

- mackie mccleod - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:32 am:
to view a partial list of crimes committed by FBI agents over 1500 pages long see
http://www.forums.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=59139

to view a partial list of FBI agents arrested for pedophilia see
http://www.dallasnews.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3574

- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:32 am:
It will be hard for him to make the Madigans’ claim in court without taking the stand. And then there’s the cross…

Plus, although the Senate seat charge is sensational, he’s got other problems in that indictment he might not want to answer to on cross.

- Bubs - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:38 am:
I am looking forward to seeing him in the slammer, but I will give him one thing. He sure knows how to manipulate the media.

Blago understands that in the 24/7 Cable Age, some media types have all the ethical sensibilities of a Komodo Dragon - all they want is interesting copy. They are HIS lawful prey.

- Bill - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 10:58 am:
Oh, OK, Ekl, Rod is a disgrace and an embarrassment and your guy is just an innocent victim of circumstance who tried his best to serve the people but was taken advantage of by the evil governor. What a load of bull. Harris was an even bigger scumbag than Rod who allegedly used illegal means to further his own personal agenda at the people’s expense. Now he tries to diminish his own culpability by ratting out Rod. He’ll say anything to get a few months sliced off his sentence.

- Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:00 am:
Wouldn’t it be cool if one of the networks or cables booked Blago to discuss his literary offering– and then when he walks on the set in NY there sits a smiling Carol Marin or Mike Flannery to ride shotgun to the host interviewer?

- Scooby - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:02 am:
Blagojevich has serious problems with the shakedowns at the tollway and children’s hospital, and on the senate seat he’s being charged with the conspiracy so the planning to sell the senate seat is the issue moreso than whether or not he actually completed a crooked deal, but still there’s an underexplored element here that doesn’t sit well.

The feds said that they took the unusual step of an early morning arrest based on an arrest complaint and not a formal indicmtent of a sitting governor because there was a pending senate appointment and Blagojevich had to be stopped before he made a legally irreversible decision. We later came to understand just how irreversible when he appointed Roland Burris. I remember reading somewhere that the feds said they had to move in when they did because they intercepted some communications that indicated Blagojevich had made up his mind.

Blagojevich in his book says that the day before his arrest he called John Harris and told him to start working on appointing Lisa Madigan. He had hoped that he could work out a deal to appoint his rival and in turn thaw the freeze in Springfield that was preventing an agreement on a capital bill.

Even if you agree that the whole thing was far fetched and neither Madigan would ever agree to anything with him, there’s nothing criminal about that part of the process. It would be a perfectly legal and appropriate appointment based on fairly rational political considerations, and coming from a guy who was not known for rational political considerations. Also, it would make it a lot harder to prove that Blagojevich was trying to sell the senate seat for (take your pick) $1.5 million in campaign contributinos, a job at change to win, a job at some nonprofit, etc. if in the end he went and gave the appointment to someone that he clearly hated. If Blagojevich had gone out and announced that he was appointing his hated rival to the Senate seat before he got arrested, as he had apparently already decided to do, the feds would have a much harder case to make perception wise, although by the letter of the law they would still have the same legal case on paper.

The feds led us to believe they arrested him when they did to prevent an imminent criminal act, when it appears the imminent act (of appointing Lisa Madigan) would have been no more criminal than appointing Roland Burris. But they did manage to stop him from giving away the senate seat to someone he hated, for nothing.

- Secret Square - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:06 am:
So what does FBI agents commiting crimes or being accused of child molestation have to do with whether or not Blago is guilty or corruption?

Is it just to make the point that FBI agents are not infallible or above breaking the law themselves? Well, we know that, we’re not stupid. But that doesn’t change the fact that there is still PLENTY of evidence of Blago’s misdeeds out there.

- Coach - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:09 am:
Did anybody else catch this line in today’s Trib story?

=== The book’s objective, first and foremost, is to protest his innocence and tell the people of Illinois — and, by extension, his potential jury pool — how much he loves them. ===

That statement about the jury pool may very well be true, but the Trib’s handling of that point is remarkable on two levels.

From a sourcing standpoint (yes, I know times have changed, but basic principles of sourcing/attribution have not), if this point is true, how does the Trib know it to be true? There is no attribution whatsoever behind the statement.

The Trib states it as fact, though Blagojevich or his attorneys his or publicist surely would not have acknowledged this point. Or wouldn’t they?

More importantly, if in fact Blagojevich is playing to the jury and the media knows this to be true, then doesn’t that completely undercut the integrity of continued media coverage of the man’s book tour and endless proclamations of innocence?

I know the Trib is in the business to make money and that the Trib, perhaps more than any other Illinois media outlet, shamelessly uses its “news” vehicle to self-promote its business (witness its way-over-the-top U of I coverage coupled with its constant self-congratulation of itself as the great Illinois “watchdog”), but isn’t there a balance to be struck here?

Isn’t the Trib – together with other media – lending that Blago strategy credibility by constantly and extensively reporting on it and therefore promoting and supporting it?

- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:18 am:
Politics attracts people who are needy for love and acceptance from strangers. These folks find satisfaction from being told how wonderful they are. They enjoy collecting affection, cash and political support and believe that this is coming to them because of who they are and what they are saying. They are addicted to this.

How many times do we hear a politician talk to us as though they believe we just want to hear them express their thoughts? They believe they are making a public speech, but instead they are just talking about how they feel about something, and since they are an elected official, we, as voters, need to hear them. This isn’t leadership - it is morning-TV tabloid shows. It is Dr. Phil meets Oprah, meets political celebrity feel-good crap.

Blagojevich thinks he is still relevant to our lives. He somehow believes that we care enough about him that we need to know how he thinks, how he feels, how he struggles, and how his family is holding up. That is unbelievable and displays a condescending opinion about everyone else, but Blagojevich doesn’t recognize this.

We are seeing an entire generation of politicians who don’t know when to quit. We can’t throw them off the stage. Their focus wasn’t on government, their focus was on their personal fame. They write books about themselves, not about solutions. They find themselves endlessly fascinating, even when no one else wants them around. Naturally they continue, even out of office, discredited and jailed.

I distrust any politician who claims to have all the answers, pre-packaged, slick and sincere. I am unwilling to support any politican who is all facade and no experience. These people are like gourmet chefs who never cooked. These politicians are like 15 year old boys who draw cars during study hall, but have never driven. We, as voters, have to avoid these sincere frauds. Yeah - they can campaign like a dream, but they cannot do the jobs we elect them to. Consequentially we suffer.

This is the kind of guy Rod Blagojevich is. Being governor was never his personal goal. Governing was never important enough to learn. He loved campaigning and winning, but not the offices he held. So, without the office, without credibility, he continues his attempts at gaining affection from strangers.

- former state employee - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:30 am:
On September 24, blago is supposed to be a “guest” in the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I expect Jon Stewart will have done his homework and blago will leave the set looking more like he’s gone through a meat grinder than on national tv. Too bad we are going to have to rely on a cable channel that “makes up news” to hear a real interviewer challenge his crazy claims.

- dupage dan - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:32 am:
Scooby,

Your whole premise is based on what RodB tells us he was planning on doing. Something highly unlikely given how the Madigans felt about him.

Most importantly, the claim is RodB’s. Totally unbelieveable garbage coming from a known liar.

On this you base your assertion that what RodB was doing was legal?

Jon Lovitt was better at this than RodB. Funnier, too.

- Paul - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:42 am:
Correct me here, but didn’t that “final plan” only emerge at the very end two days after the Tribune reported that Blago’s phones were tapped. Wasn’t that after the famous “anyone can record me any time” response?

He lies, he lies, he lies. The national press is annoying.

- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:43 am:
Paul is right. Very good point.

- Ghost - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:45 am:
SO national media = lazy cricus performer interviewers unwilling to do a little homework.

I would Pay Per View to see Blago on Colbert…
Jon Stewart can give a tough interview, but he has also done some really soft, spoon fed interviews as well.

- Scooby - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 11:59 am:
dupage dan, if he called up Harris the day before he got arrested and said let’s do this, then it’s on tape since both their phones were tapped.

- Gregor - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 12:50 pm:
Mr. Zorn, a grateful nation thanks you for your service and sacrifice in reading that… thing so we don’t have to. Just reading your blog bits from the chapters makes me feel the need to take a “Silkwood shower”.

While a complete failure in the purpose for which it was intended, the book is a great insight into the mind of the ex-governor. Should help the doctors diagnose him a lot.

- Phineas J. Whoopee - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 12:59 pm:
Chris Kelly is by far the most interesting character emerging from this bad John Grishom novel. His value to the feds cannot be underestimated and it has nothing to do with Blago.

The massive O’Hare investigation has been quite for a long time. We are talking 15 years of graft and corruption on a montrous scale. Billions of dollars in deals where Kelly and his pals became millionaire players.

Kelly was inside of all of it. I imagine the feds need him to lower the boom and he knows it. How long he holds out is a good guess but they certainly have enough leverage on him.

- dupage dan - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 1:12 pm:
Scooby,

Paul said it better and provided the back up to clinch it. RodB didn’t start talking about it until after he learned he was being taped.

It’s a non-starter. Transparent. Worthless.

- Downstater - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 1:15 pm:
Rich, why don’t you request an interview with Blagojevich?

- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 2:58 pm:
A. If Marin or Flannery made a network show they would be smiling munchkins happy for the face time.
B. anyone else why any media outlet except perhaps “pinks” is covering this guy at all
hundreds of books are released why cover one that can best be used as paperweight or door stop?

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 3:23 pm:
IR posted a thread about an “unmentionable” today and Blago’s hitting the airwaves again.

All things considered: I’m predicting a pretty up–if not darn good–week. Da!

- Hollis Elmore - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 3:29 pm:
“The Governor” should be renamed “ME! ME! ME!”
There’s no stunning evidence to vindicate the Blagojevich’s.

- Ghost - Wednesday, Sep 9, 09 @ 4:15 pm:
I wonder if we can have Frost interview Blago….

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