A Primer: The Tony Rezko Trial

In anticipation of the Tony Rezko trial, the Chicago Sun-Times provides a primer.

Seven things to know about the trial:

1. Who is Tony Rezko?

He's a Syrian-born businessman who made millions of dollars in real estate, fast-food chains and overseas ventures. Rezko's prowess as a political fund-raiser bought him political access and influence within the Blagojevich administration, prosecutors charge. Rezko, who was once a top Blagojevich adviser, is accused of demanding illegal payments from firms trying to do business with the state and directing that money to himself or to political designees. Rezko also served as an Obama fund-raiser, and Obama entered into a land deal with Rezko in 2005. Obama later called the move "boneheaded" because Rezko was widely known to be under federal scrutiny at the time.

2. Hottest trial in town: If you want a seat, come early.

3. Rezko cleaned-up

4. Picking jurors

5. Gov B is Public Official A

There will be no more "Public Official A," or "Individual B," etc. In contrast to how names were disguised in reams of court documents, the cards will be out on the table at trial. That isn't good news for Gov. Blagojevich, who St. Eve recently confirmed is the "Public Official A" referred to in prosecution filings. The government alleged in December that two witnesses are expected to testify Blagojevich told them supporting his administration would bring financial rewards. Blagojevich allegedly said "he could award contracts, legal work, and investment banking to help with fund-raising," according to a filing in which prosecutors laid out expected trial testimony. Prosecutors have not accused Blagojevich of wrongdoing. Last week, Blagojevich defended himself, saying: "What was described there doesn't describe me or how I do things."

6. 'Teflon' Obama

That same court filing makes reference to presidential contender U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. While Obama's involvement in the case will be minimal compared with the governor's, the prospect of his name being mentioned isn't a headache Obama needs -- especially on the eve of major primaries in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday. Prosecutors charge Rezko directed $10,000 from a kickback scheme into Obama's campaign fund. Obama isn't accused of wrongdoing, and he has since given that money to charity. An Obama reference at trial could be harmful to the defense, strategist Lisnek predicts: "If it comes in that Rezko was trying to take advantage of Obama -- that may not play well with a jury. "Obama's very positive. He's almost like Teflon right now. It could hurt the defense if jurors believe Rezko tried to sully his name and use him."

Not so with Blagojevich, Lisnek said: "Blagojevich has been so muddied."

7. It's all about Levine
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8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko

Obama-Rezko Connection

Do you think that the likable Barack Obama is Mr. Clean when it comes to ethics?

Don't.

Is he the embodiment of change, a new sort of government, hope that we can believe in and be proud of?

No. He's not.

Read what John Batchelor has to offer.

Here's more--

Mark Levin alerted his listeners to a piece from American Thinker, "The Obama-Rezko plot thickens."

There is much yet to be learned about the web of transactions involved, but it now appears that money originating from a convicted Middle Eastern wheeler-dealer found its way to indicted Chicago wheeler-dealer Tony Rezko, and then weeks later provided the means for a nearly simultaneous land transaction that enabled the Obamas to buy their home for substantially below asking price.


It certainly doesn't look like change we can believe in, when it comes to Chicago politics.

More on the Obama-Rezko connection and dirty politics, from Right Wing Nut House.

And more from the Chicago Sun-Times, here.

There's a strong chance White House hopeful Barack Obama's name will surface at indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko's trial, which is to begin next week.

In a ruling released Monday, a federal judge also made clear that Gov. Blagojevich, too, stands to come up at trial, as she made public what Blagojevich has long denied: that the governor is the "Public Official A" who's repeatedly referenced in Rezko court documents.

Obama's name was not mentioned, but U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would allow prosecutors to present evidence about a portion of a $375,000 finder's fee that a Rezko associate, Joseph Aramanda, obtained through an alleged kickback scheme orchestrated by Rezko.

Prosecutors, she ruled, will be allowed to ask about how money from that fee allegedly was used "to make a political contribution" in Aramanda's name "because Rezko had already donated the maximum amount by law."

The ruling does not identify Obama as the recipient of that contribution. But sources have identified him as the "political candidate" who prosecutors say received a $10,000 donation from Aramanda -- at Rezko's direction -- during Obama's 2004 run for the U.S. Senate.

Obama has donated that contribution to charity. Aramanda's lawyer could not be reached for comment.

In addition, Rezko allegedly directed another associate, Elie Maloof, "to donate for the same reason," St. Eve wrote.

"The evidence is admissible," she added.

As with the Aramanda contribution, Obama has donated a $10,000 contribution from Maloof -- who was out of the country and could not be reached -- to charity. The two contributions are among $157,835 in Rezko-linked donations that Obama has given away.

Rezko was once part of Obama's senatorial finance committee.

Tony Rezko's trial begins next week.

It may be too late for any of this to help Hillary Clinton, but it won't be too late to help John McCain.

Jim Doyle and "Individual B"

"Have the checks arrived from Individuals L, M, N, O, and P?"


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been running a series profiling the Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates.

In "Doyle Profile, Part 4," Greg J. Borowski writes:

[Doyle]can play hardball.

And he can take a punch.

Most of them have centered on his ethics, raising questions about how he raised his massive war chest, about a state procurement official found guilty of steering a travel contract to Doyle campaign contributors.

For friends, the charges and allegations do not ring true.

Alan Zussman remembers when Doyle was part of a group that played basketball in the noon hour at "the shell," a cavernous gym on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

At one point, Zussman - a UW athletic department official - arranged for them to play at the Fieldhouse. Zussman said Doyle, just elected attorney general, wouldn't play until he ran it past the state Ethics Board.

"No one ever questioned his integrity," he said. "Never."

If that's true, then Doyle has had a personality transplant since becoming governor, or he's a Jekyll and Hyde-type.

One has to be completely uninformed in order to be free of legitimate doubts about Doyle's character.

Spivak and Bice have just added to the steaming pile of doubts that already exist regarding this supposed man of impeccable integrity.

U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, of Valerie Plame fame or infamy, introduces us to "Individual B." (Ooooh. Very mysterious.)

Fitzgerald indicted Antoin Rezko, a Dem fund-raiser for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Individual B is Christopher Kelly. Spivak and Bice identify him as "Blagojevich's top money man."

S & B ask, "And what's Kelly's connection to the Wisconsin governor?"

Enquiring minds want to know.

S & B write:

Kelly gave the maximum $10,000 donation to Doyle's campaign on June 24. Kelly was, according to news accounts, under investigation when he made the donation and remains under the federal microscope today.

Betcha Doyle isn't quite as grateful for that money today as he was when he received it from Kelly, a central figure in what Fitzgerald dubbed "a pay to play scheme on steroids."

With the election just weeks away, Anson Kaye, Doyle's hired mouthpiece, tried to brush off questions about the donation and the governor's relation with Kelly, a rich roofer and political insider from the Chicago suburbs, by tossing out a several campaign clichés.

No surprise there.

"This is exactly the kind of false connection that the Republicans are going to try to draw in the waning days of the campaign," Kaye said Thursday. He added that Doyle, a former prosecutor, has no intention of returning the 10 grand to Individual B.

As for the governor's relation with Kelly, Kaye implied that there was none, though he did not say it point-blank. He declined to say whether he even bothered to ask Doyle this key question, instead replying repeatedly, "They may have been in the same room together."

That's not Doyle's only tie to the players in the growing Illinois scandal, which is big even by flatlanders' corruption standards.

S & B then delineate more of Doyle's questionable Illinois connections.

Read the complete article here.

Individual B flies in the face of one of Doyle's campaign promises when he ran for governor in 2002. He promised to restore Wisconsin's reputation for clean government.

Before his inauguration in 2003, Doyle said:

"If Wisconsin used to stand for anything, it was open, clean, responsible government, with clear public accountability. As governor, I will make it a top priority to return our great state to its proud, progressive tradition of open and responsible government.

"To restore people's faith and trust in government, we need to open up the legislative and budget process, set high standards for our elected officials, work together with legislators from both parties, and hold elected officials accountable for their actions."

So where do Individual B and Patrick Fitzgerald fit into that picture of clean government?

They don't, not at all.

When you go to vote on November 7, keep Individual B in mind.

Do you want an open, responsible, clean government?

Vote for Mark Green.