Did Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Run a Gambling Operation that Paid Street Tax to the Chicago Mob?

Thanks to NewsAlert, we received a tip about the Justice Department's star witness in the Operation Gambat federal trials, Robert Cooley, makes a stunning accusation against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Cooley claims Rod Blagojevich ran a gambling operation for The Chicago Mob and paid the Mob a street tax. You can find charge at the 13 minute and 45 second marker in the video.

Tweet

Bugsy Trailer

Tweet

Illinois is Run by the Combine, with the Democratic Machine on 1 side, the Republican Insiders on the Other, and the Chicago Outfit Forming the Base

Now that Gov. Dead Meat has been arrested at his home and charged with selling Illinois by the pound—and Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat by the slice—let's just savor the aroma.

I love the smell of meat over coals in the morning.

It smells like . . . victory.

The people of Illinois needed some good news and they got it. Former Republican Gov. George Ryan is in prison, and the arrest of his successor, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, surely means that the Illinois Combine that runs this state can stop with the rumors that U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald will be leaving town. And, as Blagojevich most likely prepares to be Ryan's bunkmate, let's not forget the scores of other politicos, of all parties, who've gone down on corruption charges—including some of Mayor Richard Daley's guys who helped rebuild that Democratic machine the mayor says doesn't exist.

At a news conference in the federal building in Chicago, authorities were asked about Illinois corruption.

"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," said Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office.

Grant had the privilege of standing outside Blagojevich's home about 6 a.m. Tuesday and calling the sleepy governor to say federal agents were outside, waiting to arrest him quietly.

"I could tell I woke him up," Grant said. "And the first thing he said was, 'Is this a joke?' "

No, but standing before a federal judge wearing jogging pants, sneakers and a powder blue fleece sort of made the governor of Illinois look like a jester. Or a joker.

Political corruption in the state that has made corruption an art form isn't funny, like a clown. The joke is on all of us, everyone who lives in Illinois. Because Blagojevich was elected governor on the reform ticket, promising to clean up the state and end business as usual.

Chicagoans aren't really surprised. This is the state run by the Combine, with the Democratic machine on one side and the Republican insiders on the other, and the Chicago Outfit forming the base. That is the real iron triangle.

Blagojevich was supported by the machine and by the now-indicted Republican power broker Big Bill Cellini. If that's not reform, what is?

The governor is alleged to have tried to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder, used his leverage in attempts to oust Tribune editorial writers who didn't play ball, and schemed to shake down the chief executive officer of Children's Memorial Hospital for campaign cash in exchange for a state grant.

So though Illinois isn't surprised—this is after all the home of the Chicago Way—the national media must be shocked.

They've been clinging to the ridiculous notion that Chicago is Camelot for months now, cleaving to the idea with the willfulness of stubborn children. It must help them see Obama as some pristine creature, perhaps a gentle faun of a magic forest, unstained by our grubby politics, a bedtime story for grown-ups who insist upon fairy tales. But now the national media may finally be forced to confront reality.

Even national pundits with tingles running up their legs can't ignore the tape recordings in which Blagojevich speculated how he'd get the gold for picking Obama's successor.

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said on tape. "You hear 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."

Obama's Senate seat, Blagojevich allegedly said, "is a [expletive] valuable thing. You don't just give it away for nothing."

Then, on Nov. 5, he allegedly said, "I've got this thing, and it's [expletive] golden and, uh, I'm just not going to give it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it, I can parachute me there."

If a jury hears that tape, it's [expletive] over.

I figure Blagojevich most likely will start talking to the feds, blabbing about everyone he knows, in order to cut down his time, because what's on the federal tapes is devastating.

Once he starts, the feds will have to slap him to shut him up.

Naturally, Obama didn't have much to say.

Obama said he never talked to Blagojevich about the Senate seat. In this, his hands are clean. But he also didn't want to get involved, much like last week, when he didn't want to get involved in the Democratic push led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Big Jim) to get Ryan out of prison.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening," Obama told reporters at his transition office in Chicago. "It's a sad day for Illinois; beyond that, I don't think it's appropriate to comment."

I don't think Obama would ever countenance paying Blagojevich for a Senate seat or allow others close to him to even consider it. I'm not saying Obama is corrupt here. He's busy with all the great issues of the day, but at some point the president-elect must address the stench in his home state.

Because this is no fairy tale. This isn't Camelot.

This is Chicago.

And a governor is on the grill.
Thanks to John Kass

Tweet

Yasmin Acree's Disappearance Stumps Chicago Police, So They Join with "America's Most Wanted" to Find Her with Your Help

Yasmin Acree: Yasmin Acree is described as a fun-loving and well-adjusted young girl whose disappearance has stumped police in Chicago. She was last seen in her home, headed to her bedroom after finishing a load of laundry. Cops now say she's disappeared without a trace.

Joey Offutt: When Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene of a house fire in Sykesville in the early morning hours of July 12, 2007, they weren't prepared for everything they were about to find. Once the fire was extinguished, some shocking details were revealed, and authorities are still struggling to answer all the questions left over from that day.

Liza Gonzales: Liza Monica Gonzales, also known as Liza Campos, is wanted for drug trafficking, as well as murder. She may be in Oklahoma or California, and police consider her extremely dangerous. Call 1-800-Crime-TV if you have seen her.

Joseph Allen Garcia: Joseph Allen Garcia, a man wanted on charges of murder, manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon and failure to appear has been named to the U.S. Marshals' 15 Most Wanted list.

Tempe Bank Robbers: For two nights in October 2007, two Arizona families fell prey to a trio of bank-robbing bandits. Both times, the suspects had one thing on their minds: using the victims to gain entry to the banks in which they worked. In the Tempe incident, the plan paid off, and the cash-rich culprits got away with nearly $400,000 -- the biggest robbery payday in Arizona history.

Ahmet Gashi: Kemal Kolenovic was a New York welterweight champion who took one hit from which he'd never recover on New Year's Eve 2006. Cops say a vicious foe, Ahmet Gashi, came at Kemal with some heavy armor, and he's been on the run ever since.

Jean Seraphin: Police say the search for accused killer Jean Seraphin has brought in tips from Miami and Jacksonville, Fla. Now, police want to turn up the heat on Seraphin for what he is accused of doing to two brothers back in April 2002. In fact, detectives want people in New York and Florida to be on high alert for this fugitive.

Unknown Jose Gurley Killer: 17-year-old Jose Gurley was a high school superstar in West Bridgewater, Mass., but when he returned home to Brockton, he was just another kid on the street, fighting for his life. At a party late last month, he lost that battle to a group of gang members shooting blindly into the night. Police locked up a man they say drove the getaway car, but even with almost 75 eyewitnesses to the crime, cops are still searching for the gunman.

Frank Brown: College freshmen are always making new friends, but when a student at Georgia State University started hanging out with fellow freshman Frank Brown, cops say it nearly cost him his life.

Sherry Halligan: In late January 2003, Sherry Halligan allegedly murdered her former boyfriend. After driving around in her car all night, cops say she drove straight to the police station, where they say she confessed all the details of her crime. Unfortunately, after being let out on bail, Halligan apparently changed her mind about coming clean.

David Mancha: David Simon Mancha is wanted for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault; police believe he is still in Texas.

Tina Loesch: After years on the run, the saga of Tina Loesch and her lover, Sky Hanson, ended hours after AMW aired their story on Nov. 15, 2008. While the couple took their own lives in what cops are calling a suicide pact, the investigation is far from over as authorities in three states search for Kristopher Loesch.

Skye Hanson: After years of running from the law, the murder saga of Tina Loesch and her lover, Skye Hanson, came a close hours after AMW aired their story. On Nov. 15, 2008, the pair were found dead in an SUV outside Tucson, Ariz. and cops are calling the deaths a suicide pact.

This Week in the AMW Safety Center:
For more than twenty years, it's been AMW Host John Walsh's mission to take down the creeps that prey on our children. So when he received a question at the AMW Safety Center from a viewer in Arizona about how to find the man who was harming a child in a video, he knew exactly where to send her. This week's Ask John Walsh video will show you the important steps to take and how to connect to the Cyber tip line to report the lowlifes that harm our kids.

Tweet

There's a Sucker Born Every Minute

Last night at an intimate gathering to celebrate author Rose Keefe's visit to Chicago ( Rose is the author of the definitive biographies of Chicago beer war chieftains Dean O'Banion and George 'Bugs' Moran and recently The Starker: Big Jack Zelig and brilliant conversationalist), a fellow blogger, Pat Hickey, had the pleasure of discussing the current political scandal concerning Illinois Governor Blagojevich with Richard Lindberg a veteran Chicago crime/political journalist/historian/author and host of the History Channel's 'Underground Chicago.'

Mr. Lindberg is coming out with a biography on the life of Michael Cassius 'Big Mike' McDonald the author of Chicago and Illinois political corruption. Recently Richard Lindberg authored the chilling study of the 1955 murders of two Chicago boys-The Schuessler-Peterson Murders by the monster Kenneth Hansen.

You can read the rest of Pat's account of his evening along with a capsule on Big Mike McDonald at:

There's a Sucker Born Every Minute: Michael C. McDonald and Illinois Corruption

Tweet