Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (a.k.a. "Blago") and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested by FBI agents on federal corruption charges this morning. They were both taken into federal custody simultaneously at their respective homes. See below for the latest developments from the Chicago Tribune:
The Smoking Gun has posted excerpts of wiretap transcripts from the FBI's 76-page affidavit, which was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The meat of the FBI affidavit is presented in the DOJ's official press release on the matter.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald alleged that Gov. Blagojevich has been on a "political corruption crime spree" and "put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States Senator." Blago was apparently recorded spouting many obscenity-laden and potentially self-incriminating gems, such as:
- "[The Senate seat] is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."
- "I've got this thing and it's fucking golden, and, uh, uh, I'm not just giving it up for fucking nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And, I can always use it. I can parachute me there."
- "I want to make money."
Robert Grant, FBI special agent in charge of the Chicago office, opined, "If [Illinois] isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."
So, what does this mean for our President-Elect, the former junior Senator from Illinois? For the record, Fitzgerald clearly noted in his statement to the press that the U.S. District Court's criminal complaint "makes no allegations" against Barack Obama. Nevertheless, this scandal will likely tarnish Obama's carefully crafted anti-establishment image. After all, both Chicago and Springfield are cesspools of machine politics and politicians are, in many respects, products of their environment. The idea that anyone - even the herald of change - could rise to power in Illinois without playing in the mucky muck is, to borrow a phrase from former President Clinton, "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen." President-Elect Obama is many things: a skilled politician, a formidable intellectual, and a promising president. Anti-establishment, however, he is not.
Ultimately, if the allegations against Blago are true, anything less than his immediate resignation and a special election to fill the vacant Senate seat in Illinois would be a sham.
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