Josh at TPM notes:
It's looking increasingly like Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., was truly uninvolved in Rod Blagojevich's alleged Senate-seat-for-sale scheme, other than expressing the usual interest in getting the appointment. Most telling was the report from Jackson's lawyer today that the feds called Jackson as Blagojevich was being arrested to give him a heads up that the arrest was happening and that Jackson might see his name in the news. If this all bears out and Jackson turns out to be a victim here, too, it's hard not to feel pretty bad for the guy. Yeah, yeah, he's an experienced pol and a big boy and all that. But still a pretty a raw deal thanks to Blagojevich
I read some speculation (can't find now) that it was the end of Jesse Jr's career...he might not be moving to the senate, but his house seat is not in any danger...
I loved Obama's " I would give my appreciation" bit re: his preference for a replacement...priceless... and Blogo's rant afterward probably clinched the deal "Blagojevich was overheard complaining at one point that Obama's people are "not going to give me anything except appreciation." He added: "(Expletive) them.""...
It was interesting that BofA caved to pressure on the Republic window and doors strike, offering a loan for their severance package right after Blogo's call for boycott of them...then he got Fitzed....
4 comments:
all i can think about this is, "sounds like New Jersey."
it'd be sad if Jesse Jr. was victim of a "guilt by association" fate. i don't feel like i know enough about the inside baseball of Chicago pols to say "c" or "nc" on all of it.
the Andy Stern/Change to Win thread is gross, tho.
jeepers, sounds like NJ.
From Nate Silver over at 538:
We know that Blagojevich had at least two conversations with an SEIU official, probably Andy Stern; Stern is certainly well-connected, but has no formal role with the Obama transition team. In the second of these conversations, Blagojevich broached the idea of setting up a 501(c)(4). He does so somewhat discretely, only loosely tying it to Jarrett, whom at that point may already have become disinterested in the Senate seat. Within 48 hours, Jarrett is named to the White House staff, effectively removing her from consideration for the Senate.
And that's really all that we know. It's certainly possible, and maybe somewhat probable, that there were other conversations outside of what is described in the criminal complaint, but at that point we're just guessing: there is no specific allegation that Blagojevich had any direct discussion with a member of Team Obama.
Stern is whip-smart; in either or both of his conversations with Blagojevich, he may well have picked up an uncomfortable vibe, and that might well have contributed to Jarrett's apparent decision to withdraw herself from consideration from the Senate seat. However, there is probably some sort of purgatory between a conversation that would make you uncomfortable, and a conversation that you would report to the FBI. Blagojevich was buffoonish in his conversations with his advisers, but far less so in his conversation with outside parties, with whom he understood the need to cover his ass and be discreet.
So to answer Tapper's questions:
Then there's the big question about how Blago was so sure -- so angry -- that Team Obama would not pay to play.
Perhaps because Obama's the fraking President-elect and you don't shake down the President-elect. That's not something you should need to be told. Behind the scenes, Blagojevich dreamed of being omnipotent, but he may have recognized his impotence when it came to Obama; that is something that would have made him angry.
Who in the Obama Team was talking to the Governor's office?
Andy Stern was talking to Blago. Andy Stern is close to Team Obama, and pretty much everyone else in the "new" Democratic Party, but he isn't a part of Team Obama. (This is probably no accident. For any number of reasons -- for instance, not wanting to upset his colleagues in Illinois by lobbying against their ascendancy to the Senate -- it might have been useful to Obama to have some insulation between the transition team and Blagojevich.) It's not clear from Fitzgerald's complaint that Blagojevich had conversations with anyone but Stern about Jarrett, although he was certainly contemplating doing so.
When they found out that Blago wanted to quid pro quo Team Obama (Jarrett gets the Senate seat if Blago gets a Cabinet position, or a good-paying job with a union-affiliated organization, or his wife gets a seat on some corporate boards) what did they do?
Tapper is confusing what Blagojevich discussed with his kitchen cabinet with what he discussed with Stern. Some of the more labyrinthine schemes that he and his advisers hatched would have sounded crazy -- the only idea that we know he broached with Stern was that of the 501(c)(4), and he did so very discretely.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/12/what-jake-tapper-doesnt-know-about-what.html
very interesting stuff I gotta say...
I'm with Nate (and I assume ez) - I think the only role Stern had was getting into an awkward conversation with the governor and then running to Rahm, who quickly covered Blago with gas and set him on fire. If anything, we might owe Andy a little thank you note and maybe a day off from us telling him to go fuck himself.
great to have you back wobs...
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