Rezko: Feds pushed for dirt on Obama

[WeDidIt]

Rezko: Feds pushed for dirt on Obama
By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 6/12/08 2:33 PM EST

Imprisoned Chicago businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko has accused federal prosecutors of improperly pressuring him to implicate Barack Obama in a corruption case.

In a letter to the U.S. District judge who presided over his trial, Rezko, who was convicted this month of 16 corruption-related counts including fraud and money laundering, called prosecutors “overzealous.” And he singled out what he said were their efforts to get him to turn on Obama, an Illinois Senator and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and Illinois Gov. Rod Bagojevich.

“They are pressuring me to tell them the ‘wrong’ things that I supposedly know about Governor Bagojevich and Senator Obama,” Rezko wrote in an undated letter released by the court this week. “I have never been party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator. I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes. I will take what comes my way, but I will never hurt innocent people.”

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago, wouldn't comment on Rezko's allegation.

Link to Full Politico Article

Link To a Scan of the Letter Rezko Sent to the Judge

MY COMMENTS: This needs to be investigated and any prosecutor attempting to push political agendas via overzealous prosecution needs to go to prison. Combining this with the U.S. Attorney scandal, Dan Siegelman, and Scott McClellan's description of an adminsitration in full time campaign mode and you have an example of the most egregious form of abuse of power in American History.

This makes Watergate seem like child's play.

[babylonsister]

1. No surprise here, but I'm glad Rezko spoke up. Now, will any

pundit report this? That would surprise me.

[WeDidIt]

2. Keith might

but that's probably it.

Joe "Dead Intern" Scabrough will probablky spend an hour on how this helps McSame.

[babylonsister]

3. You're right, he surely will. nt

[Tim4319]

4. I'm Faux Snooze won't cover this!

[redstate_democrat]

5. There needs to be an investigation

I can just sense Karl Rove involvement

[ieoeja]

6. It was not political. It was prosecutorial.

Fitzgerald likes big fish. He got the previous Governor of Illinois. He'd like to make it two in a row.

But he has no proof. While Rezko was shaking down contractors he said he had the full backing of "the big guy". Two problems there are (1) did he mean the Governor and (2) was he telling the truth to the guy he was shaking down?

Let's face it, if you're vetting bidders for government contracts, and are trying to get a bribe, then telling your victim one of the following two makes sense while the other is insane:

"You don't wanna pay, take it up with the Governor? You think I would do this without his knowledge and full backing?"

"You don't wanna pay? That's alright. But please don't tell the Governor I tried soliciting a bribe here, okay?"


As to pressure, the Republics gleefully turned on one another and then Rezko. Fitz hasn't had this sort of luck with the small number of Democrats he has caught. They keep insisting they were acting alone. Which means the whole Republican I-me-my-mine philosophy ended up with administrations full of less loyal people than the Democratic administrations, or the small number of Democratcs Fitz has caught really were acting alone.

[bigdarryl]

7. Sounds like the same shit they tried with Susan McDougal when Bid Dog was President

ASS WHOLES!!!!!

[NatBurner]

8. color me not surprised

[Thrill]

9. Rove and his operatives at it again