Oct 19, 2006

Whatever Happens In Las Vegas...

becomes National News!

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate,
Booze,
Babes & 911 Calls

sloooooooooooow whistle...

68 Comments:

Blogger Bubby said...

Fitz!!!!! It just keeps getting better and better.

7:34 PM  
Blogger airJackie said...

I guess it doesn't stay in Vegas anymore. What next and who?

7:35 PM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

And I like Las Vegas. Man, the GOPs have really polluted Las Vegas!

7:41 PM  
Blogger airJackie said...

I just heard Bush compare Iraq to Vietnam yet he has always said there was not a comparison. What's going on here. Bush said we're losing in Iraq wasn't he the one who kept saying stay the course. Even Bush supporters might wonder what's with this about face. I remember reading on this web site a comment about if we were to stop fighting in Iraq it would be like kicking dust in my daughters face as a active soldier. Well to that Anon. Blogger I only have to say the troops in Afgan and Iraq have said we were losing for the past 3 years so this is nothing new to them. As soldiers they can't say what is true they have to support the honor of their leader. But yes they knew along time ago what the media and Bush are saying now. Well have given Bin Ladin what he has always wanted and I know he thanks Bush and the Americans who believed his lies and supported his lies.

7:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know everyone is sick of the Foley crime, but there's something I have to say for this new "excuse". Now it's all okay because, well first he was drunk, then he was abused by a preist himself as an alter boy. No! I don't believe so. Do the courts still allow these excuses for predatory behaviour? It's just a sign as they use these excuses that a long time ago in the developing years they made a choice to identify with the abuser, not with what is good and acceptable bahavior. When they identify with a drunk father or father figure or a sexually abusive preist it means they are not turning away from the abuser but in a sense saying "I want to be like him/her". It's identifying with a false evil power structure that we all have to make a choice over. The choice is to end the cycle not proliferate it's continuance. Mr. Fitzgerald, the next time you have someone saying they were drunk during their crimes and can't remember what they did, treat it as it should be treated, another liar. Don't let up on them. Johnny Walker is the oldest excuse for these guys- and we have all let it go on too far. Take care, Sarah

7:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The GOP-Gross Old Perverts
Lovers of Teenage Boys, Prostitutes and Corruption.

This can't be said enough: Vote the Republican Incumbent Scum out November 7!

8:02 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

All,

The Gop Koolaid has dried up and turned into sour Prune Juice...

bwahahahahahahahahaha!

8:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hopefully it will give all the Republicans the runs on November 7!

They won't be able to stand in line and vote!

8:15 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

Pepto Bismol,

quote:
Hopefully it will give all the Republicans the runs on November 7!

They won't be able to stand in line and vote!

...How Sweet it is...

hee hee hee..

8:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GEF

I'm looking forward to major GOP agony and defeat November 7!

8:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer. I hope that......................................

9:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i love wonkette. everytime i see pagefuckergate i start laughing.

9:33 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

Boehner get's Diarreah and Throws Hastert Under The Bus Again and Hastert does a Reagan(Amnesia)...

Boehner Repeats He Told Hastert About Foley

House Majority Leader John Boehner says he's sticking to his story. Boehner told reporters Thursday after his testimony before the House Ethics Committee that he stood by statements he'd told Speaker Dennis Hastert of Mark Foley's overly friendly e-mails to a former page.

The Ohio Republican wouldn't say specifically what he told the committee but he's publicly quoted Hastert as telling him the complaint "had been taken care of." Hastert has said he doesn't recall the conversation with Boehner.

=================

How Sweet it is...

9:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sean Hannity is telling Dems to stay home on Nov 7

Media Matters.

9:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think they're all crazy and should throw themselves under the bus! LOL

9:41 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

OMG...unbelievable...

LMAO @ SPB saying: "And I like Las Vegas. Man, the GOPs have really polluted Las Vegas!"

9:42 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

anon 10:39,

err, I think the polls contradict Sean Hannity..

But he might be right. The DEMs will win even if they don't show up!

Bwahahahahahahahaha!

9:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The GOP is full of Hershey Squirts!

9:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And I like Las Vegas. Man, the GOPs have really polluted Las Vegas!
======================
SPB:
Is there any city the GOP hasn't polluted? That swamp is full...pull the plug Nancy Pelosi! LOLMAO

9:45 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

Chimpcoulter,

If you hit the sex ranches in Vegas it's standing room only waiting to get in...

They have a GOP frat house there...

9:46 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

Glory days GEF...I love seeing Boehner throwing Denny the pervert under the bus again for the 2nd time! LMAO

I've been trying to watch the Cards and Mets hgame but it is making me a nervoous reck -- it's still tied 1-1 at the bottom of the 7th...

9:47 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

I can't spell -- too much Ritalin...just kidding

9:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The GOP doesn't have a Mustang Ranch in Vegas...they have an Elephant Ranch!! LOL

9:48 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

That's an Elephant Ranch on raunchy steroids!!!!!! S-Q LOL

9:56 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

Fitzie cracks me up...If you click on the Ambien Frankenstein image on the other thread, you can see he named it Grrrrrrrrrr.jpg ROFLMAO

9:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 19) - With congressional elections less than three weeks away, the Republican party's approval ratings are at an all-time low, with approval of the Republican-led Congress at its lowest point in 14 years, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.

10:08 PM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

"Is there any city the GOP hasn't polluted? That swamp is full...pull the plug Nancy Pelosi!"

No wonder this country has bad air pollution. The GOPs had polluted this country. There is no sense of recycling! LOL! And Bonehead Bohner throwing Hastert under the bus? Be careful about him. I wouldn't put it pass Bonehead if he is trying to recruit new GOP bucks for the future since the current corrupted GOPs are worn out like dishrags and tore up from the floor up.

10:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://rawstory.com/showarticle.php?
src=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2
Fs%2Fafp%2F20061019%2Fpl_afp%2F
usmilitarypolitics_061019193550

Oh my gosh, all this listening to God (who should thump Rummy on the head to see what's in his head) and they cannot respect the living or the dead.

April 4-5, 2003 RIP unknown US soldiers

10:46 PM  
Blogger PrissyPatriot said...

Evening All,

S-Q Yes indeedy, the numbers are pretty anemic and falling as we speak.

Yeah CC that was funny, I noticed that too:-)

Some republicans showed up tonight to view "Iraq for Sale' just from the fiscal standpoint its enough to enrage any conservative. They were disgusted, thank fully and say they will be voting democrat this time.

Jackie, people that make those statements I notice all they have is rhetoric-they don't seem to want to hear the facts about what's going on over there. they sure never use those facts in their arguments to stay either, ha.

Boehner is lousy representative as well as a mean nasty person who is so full of himself it is unbelievable. Boehner you're not what I'd call "hot" -only hot under the collar as only a redneck, white collar, right winger can be heeheehee

10:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MADRID, Spain - The king says it didn't happen. And the bear isn't around to talk about it anymore.

A spokeswoman for Spanish King Juan Carlos said Thursday that Russian reports the 68-year-old monarch brought down a tamed and inebriated bear during a visit in August were "ridiculous."

The palace confirmed the king, who is known to enjoy hunting, was in Russia at the time of the alleged shooting, but it says he didn't kill any bear, let alone one that was fed vodka-spiked honey.

"He neither hunted with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin nor killed a bear," a spokeswoman for the palace told The Associated Press.

Warming up for "The Most Dangerous Game"? Was Scooter and Ambien there?

RawStory.com

Filthy animals and I don't mean the bear.

10:55 PM  
Blogger FBI said...

OMG -- the Cards whooped the Mets @ss in the 7th game...and the Mets played a good game...what a catch by Chavez!...but thank you Molina for the 2-run homer...I was jumpimg up and down in my PJs...

Batter up Detroit...here we come World Series!:)

Back to politics...and Good Night Justice Bloggers...

11:03 PM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

From Nightly News:

With three months of pre-trial activity left before the beginning of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's January trial, his attorneys and Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald have been mired in negotiations and courtroom arguments on everything from admitting memory experts to which classified documents might be allowed at trial.

Today, Judge Reggie Walton, who is presiding over the case, revealed a rare insight on just how much the CIA leak case is on his mind.

In a footnote to an order extending the deadline for a pre-trial filing by both parties, the judge writes, "As the parties are aware, Judge Walton will be on vacation in Jamaica beginning November 18, 2006 and it is particularly important for the expeditious resolution of these motions that Judge Walton have something to work on while relaxing on the beach."

11:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/
jonas/022

Oh my. And what are the pedophiles' excuses?

Apparently they have full support of the Vatican on their other agendas or is that only the pedophiles?

11:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/
NY_Times_As_Iraq_strategy_falters_
1019.html

President Bush is left with difficult options in the face of growing signs that his Iraq strategy has not been a success, the New York Times will report on Friday.

"The acknowledgment by the U.S. Army spokesman in Iraq that the latest plan to secure Baghdad has faltered leaves President Bush with some of the ugliest choices he has yet faced in the war," write David E. Sanger and David S. Cloud in an article to appear on the front page of the Times.

Pentagon aides say Rumsfeld is not planning on going anywhere. "He serves at the pleasure of the president and has no intention to step down," said Eric Ruff, the Pentagon press secretary. And, officially, the White House says it has no intention of changing its strategy, either. Only its tactics.

One can only imagine the tactics.

11:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My goodness. As TPMm readers know well, House Appropriations chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is under federal investigation for possible improprieties in how he oversaw Congress' spending of $900 billion annually. Yesterday, we reported that Lewis had dropped nearly $800,000 in legal fees to defend himself against the probe.

This evening, Congressional Quarterly reports (sub. req.) that in a round of calls Monday evening, Lewis fired 60 investigators who had worked for his committee rooting out fraud, waste and abuse, effective immediately. As in, don't bother coming in on Tuesday.


“In effect, no investigative function is going to be done,” said the contractor, who called the decision “misguided.”
snip
“This staff has saved billions and billions of dollars, we’ve turned up malfeasance and misfeasance,” the contractor said. “It’s results justify the expense of the staff. I have no idea why the chairman would do this.”

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/
archives/001845.php

What are they suppose to do? Make his troubles go away? What a wipe.

12:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.koco.com/news/10105982/
detail.html?rss=okl&psp=news

Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders.

If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense.

He gave Eyewitness News 5 a videotape showing he and others shooting weapons, such as an AK-47 and a 9 mm pistol, at books in a field near Minco. They conducted the experiment to see how far bullets would penetrate the books.

"We are doing this as an experiment because at Fort Gibson, many young people were shot in the back," Crozier said in the videotape, referencing a December 1999 middle school shooting in eastern Oklahoma, in which a student wounded four students with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun.

Crozier's experiment began with shots fired at a calculus textbook from an AK-47 Russian-style assault rifle. The shot penetrated two textbooks at once.

Does this politician know something the rest of parents don't know? It is Oklahoma though.

1:03 AM  
Blogger PrissyPatriot said...

Good Morning JB's,

JFK was so ahead of his time-I'm sending this to some press people too. (its about a 4 minute speech) Fitz your latest round of Chicago indictments is a big hit on my blog:-)

JFK Speech on Secret Societies and Freedom of the Press

anon posted If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense.
Hey what a genius he is-maybe we can mail some bullet deflecting textbooks to our soldiers too! OMG!

8:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chicago Tribune Rezko pleads not guilty

A fundraiser and close adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich pleaded not guilty to fraud charges Thursday after being escorted to federal court by FBI agents.

The appearance in court of Antoin "Tony" Rezko ended weeks of speculation about his whereabouts that peaked after a pair of indictments were unsealed against him last week.

'Not Guilty' hmm, I wonder if gerbil and ambien will try that one

8:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Salah trial Day 1
Was he just doing humanitarian work?

October 20, 2006
By Chris Hack Staff writer
Mohammed Salah took his case to a jury Thursday, with his lawyer making it clear the lengthy trial will delve into the decades-old strife between Israelis and Palestinians.

Defense attorney Michael Deutsch said Salah was only trying to help innocent victims of a brutal oppression when he delivered cash to the Palestinian territories more than 13 years ago -- and ever since has been unfairly targeted by a United States government squarely on the side of Israel in the intractable conflict.

The Bridgeview resident is accused of serving as an operative for the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Although it wasn't illegal to help the group when he allegedly did, Salah's denials of a Hamas affiliation in a 2000 lawsuit led to the federal racketeering charges he now faces.

"From the time Hamas was founded in 1987, Mohammed Salah worked to support it from right here in the U.S., from right here in Bridgeview," Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton said in opening statements.

But Deutsch stressed that Hamas is well known for its humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip and West Bank territories.

"Thousands and thousands of people relate to Hamas in many different ways," Deutsch said. "There's no membership oath you take when you help Hamas. It doesn't mean everyone who helps them is a terrorist."

Deutsch provided jurors with a crash-course lesson in the tortured history of the Palestinian territories from 1948 to present. He said Salah spent the first 14 years of his life in a refugee camp and later wanted to help the people he left behind when he emigrated to America.

After Israeli authorities arrested Salah in the West Bank in 1993, he gave a series of incriminating statements outlining his Hamas leadership role. Deutsch insisted those statements were tortured out of Salah during a 50-day interrogation period -- but he also indicated several times that Salah shouldn't be punished even if he had supported Hamas back then.

"This is all directly the result of occupation by a foreign country," he said. "Every occupation in history has had a resistance. There's a context for understanding why people do what they do."

The trial, expected to last up to four months, resumes today with continuing testimony from a Hamas expert now working for the U.S. government. Matthew Levitt testified Thursday that the long-stated goal of Hamas is to create an Islamic state on the land where Israel and the Palestinian territories are now located.

"Israel would not be on the map" if Hamas got its way, Levitt testified.

Salah's co-defendant is Abdelhaleem Ashqar, a former Howard University professor now living in Virginia, who was described by prosecutors Thursday as "a facilitator, a messenger, a go-between" for Hamas.

A secret 1993 search of his home turned up some 1,000 pages of Hamas-related documents and a black book of contact information for top Hamas leaders around the globe -- including the group's main man in Iran.

"These are the leaders of a sophisticated, global terrorism organization," Hamilton said. "And defendant Ashqar knows how to get in touch with them."

Like Salah, Ashqar is not accused of working for Hamas since 1993, when the U.S. designated it as a terrorist organization. But he faces the current racketeering charges because prosecutors claim he kept his previous scheme alive by refusing to testify before grand juries that were probing Hamas in 1998 and 2003 despite grants of immunity.

"Rather than abide by the laws of the United States, defendant Ashqar chose to abide by the code of silence of Hamas," Hamilton told jurors.

Defense attorney William Moffitt said that in 1996 Ashqar was courted relentlessly by high-ranking FBI agents and federal prosecutors, even the CIA -- urging him to become a government informant on Hamas activities here and abroad. The government at one point pledged to get Ashqar's wife a federally funded university job as well as pay for medical treatment for his lower-back pain at the Mayo Clinic.

"They wanted to make him a spy," Moffitt hissed as he leaned down and slowly paced the length of the jury box, looking at each face in the front row. "They wanted him to betray his people and his beliefs. This is a dirty business, ladies and gentlemen, a dirty business."

Ashqar refused to work for the government and eventually found himself a target of prosecutors. Invoking the likes of Nathan Hale and Nelson Mandela, Moffitt delivered a passionate speech to the jury and insisted that the charges are retribution for Ashqar's refusal to cooperate with the government.

"This is punishment," Moffitt told jurors. "If that's what you want to punish him for, then punish him. Let's show the world what we're all about."

9:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This judge is involved in the Rezko case as well as the Mohammed Salah The judge: Amy St. Eve
The judge

Note Rezko's family was in court yesterday putting up their properties for his bond (about a dozen of them)
Rezko has two properties worth in the millions but have 2nd and possibly third loans against them and are not worth any equity. This all happened in Amy St. Eve's courtroom, she is also the Judge in the Salah case.

October 15, 2006
Amy St. Eve, who became one of the nation's youngest federal judges when she was appointed in 2002 at age 36, stands perhaps 5 feet tall. But from her perch in the 12th floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building, she can often make lawyers appearing before her feel half that size.
The downstate Belleville native isn't afraid to get snippy. St. Eve sometimes cuts off attorney arguments in mid-stream and lashes out when she thinks her integrity is being questioned, once threatening Salah's defense attorney Michael Deutsch with contempt when he suggested she was biased toward prosecutors.

At least on paper, St. Eve's legal pedigree would seem to be on a collision course with the ideals of 1960s liberalism displayed by Salah's scrappy defense team. A Cornell University Law School overachiever, she practiced corporate law for several years before joining the Whitewater Independent Counsel team that prosecuted some of Bill Clinton's Arkansas associates. After another five years as a prosecutor in U.S. attorney's office in Chicago, she was nominated for the bench by Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

During hearings in the Salah case, and likely through out his lengthy trial, a phalanx of federal marshals -- often with a bomb-sniffing dog -- camp in the hallway in front of St. Eve's courtroom. They impose a second layer of security on top of the security stations in the courthouse lobby, guiding Salah case spectators through a metal detector and stripping all non-lawyers of cell phones and other electronic devices.

Inside, St. Eve runs the proceedings like a drill sergeant -- always starting precisely on time, if not early. During important Salah hearings, those not already in the courtroom aren't allowed to enter while she's on the bench.

The combined court cases of Ashqar and Salah, pending before St. Eve for three years, have been marked by extraordinary secrecy. Reams of classified documents from prosecutors have been used as evidence by St. Eve in pretrial rulings. Earlier this year, St. Eve granted a government request to hold a weeks-long hearing featuring testimony of code-named Israeli intelligence agents in secret; some of it was even off-limits to defense attorneys.


o case as well as the Salah.

9:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Feds ratchet up pressure on gov's pal
Rezko shows up in court at last -- nearly broke?

October 20, 2006
BY STEVE WARMBIR, NATASHA KORECKI AND LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporters
The guessing game of "Will Tony Rezko show up?" is over.
Antoin "Tony" Rezko -- the 51-year-old jet-setting businessman and crony of Gov. Blagojevich -- returned to Chicago Thursday from a two-month overseas jaunt to face charges in two fraud schemes, one tied directly to state government.

Rezko's appearance in federal court Thursday obliterated speculation that he was on the lam in the Middle East.

And it sparked even more speculation on whether Rezko would cooperate with the ongoing federal investigation of the Blagojevich administration as the pressure on him is ratcheted up.

The indictments last week against Rezko -- a chief fund-raiser for the governor and a trusted adviser -- marked the closest the feds have come yet to Blagojevich's inner circle.

One indictment charges Rezko with taking part in a scheme to shake down kickbacks from investment firms seeking state business. The other accuses Rezko of fraudulently obtaining $10 million in business loans.


Pinstripes, tracking bracelet
Despite all the dollar signs, Rezko could be all but broke, his attorney, Joseph Duffy, suggested in court.
Rezko's got about $5,000 in the bank, Duffy said. Rezko had to rely on a group of friends and family to put up nine properties worth about $1.5 million to secure his bonds, set at $3.5 million in the two cases.

Rezko put up his own two homes in Wilmette and Lake Geneva, worth $7 million to $8 million, but Rezko has little to no equity in them, Duffy said.

A federal judge did add a new accessory to the natty, gray pinstriped suit Rezko wore on Thursday -- an electronic ankle bracelet.

Rezko was put under house arrest, at least until he provides a detailed financial affidavit in two weeks. Prosecutors made it clear they wanted more financial information, noting Rezko transferred $400,000 last year to a Lebanon bank.

Prosecutors asked for a hefty bond, saying Rezko would have an incentive to flee once he realizes the strength of the case against him.


Agents got him at O'Hare
In the one case alone, he's facing 14 years. The feds have Rezko on tape and others on tape talking about him, in secretly made recordings.
Prosecutors appeared eager to share with Rezko the extent of their evidence.

"We're poised to provide discovery," prosecutor Carolyn McNiven said.

FBI agents took Rezko into custody about noon Thursday at O'Hare Airport.

Outside the courthouse, Duffy blasted earlier speculation that Rezko wouldn't return. And one member of the family and friends who put up their homes to secure Rezko's freedom had a succinct answer when asked if Rezko would be exonerated.

"Definitely," the man said.

Soon after, Rezko left the courthouse without comment, speeding off in a BMW 750i.

swarmbir@suntimes.com

9:36 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rezko comes home to support, threats of evidence
BY ROB OLMSTEAD
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Friday, October 20, 2006


Whatever Antoin "Tony" Rezko may be, he is not a runner.

And he is not alone.

The former chief fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich returned Thursday from Syria, where he could have stayed never to be extradited to the United States, to face his two indictments alleging corruption and fraud.

Waiting for him in court were about 20 of his closest family and friends.

"Recognizing that he did come back to face these charges, at least, is a plus," acknowledged U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras.

(Associated Press) Antoin “Tony” Rezko leaves the federal building in Chicago Thursday night after relatives and friends posted $1.4 million in equity to get him out of jail.


Despite the voluntary return, federal investigators - known for using every tool at their disposal to squeeze middlemen on their way up to the big fish - gave the 51-year-old no quarter, arresting him about noon before he could even get off the plane at O'Hare International Airport.

"Mr. Rezko has no idea what is in store for him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Niewoehner said in arguing for heavy bond restrictions.

He was referring to the fact that Rezko has not yet seen the evidence the government has amassed against him, and he further said that when Rezko does, he may then reconsider his decision and decide he wants to run.

But about a dozen relatives and friends gambled Rezko won't. They put up their homes - nine pieces of property in all - to post about $1.4 million in equity to get him out of jail while he awaits trial.

Judge Amy St. Eve, who presided over the second arraignment of the day, warned them that if Rezko flees they would lose their homes.

"Knowing that risk, are you still willing to post your home?" St. Eve said.

"Absolutely, your honor," Mustafa Abdallah of Libertyville said in a clear, strong voice.

Rezko, for his part, had no such bluster. Dressed in a gray pinstripe suit with a red patterned tie and light blue shirt, the Syrian-born Wilmette resident looked tired after his international flight and subsequent eight-hour detainment. He did not speak at either arraignment, letting his attorney, Joseph Duffy, enter his "not guilty" pleas.

When he finally left the courthouse about 7:30 p.m., he declined to stand next to his lawyer while Duffy addressed the media. Instead, he walked to a waiting car, surrounded by the media.

Rezko was the center of attention Thursday and will likewise continue to be at the center of the storm around Blagojevich's administration.

Federal prosecutors accuse Rezko and former Teachers Retirement System and Illinois Health Facilities Planning board member Stuart Levine of shaking down businesses wanting contracts and permits with the state. They and other accomplices, prosecutors say, were in line to pocket more than $8 million in kickbacks in exchange for giving financial companies teachers pension money to invest, or hospitals permission to expand.

In one case, prosecutors allege, the two gave a financial company the option of a $1.5 million kickback or a $2 million contribution to an unnamed government official's campaign fund.

Blagojevich has denied that he knew anything about Rezko's activities. Blagojevich, currently running for re-election, kept things short and sweet Friday.

"Tony Rezko has returned to defend the charges against him. Today, with his arrival in court, the legal proceedings have begun. Now it is time for the justice system to fairly decide his case," the governor said in a written statement released to the media.

Although Rezko had a lot of support Thursday from family, he may feel very alone in the days ahead. The one-time multimillionaire is besieged by lawsuits, creditors and foreclosure actions and has a negative cash flow, attorneys said in court Thursday.

Duffy gave no reason why but indicated he may not represent Rezko at his next court appearances. Both judges told Rezko that if he can't afford an attorney, they will appoint a federal defender to him.

Although both Rezko's Wilmette home and a property in Lake Geneva, Wis., were put up for bond, the homes may have more debt than equity, and the only guaranteed money is the $1.4 million in friends' and family's homes. Both judges ordered him to complete a financial affidavit so they can reassess if his bond is adequate.

Duffy took an "I-told-you-so" tone with the media after Rezko's appearances.

"In the last week, there has been what I'll call an unnecessary media frenzy about Mr. Rezko and his whereabouts and his intentions. Many members of the media have been quoting sources saying Mr. Rezko would never come back," Duffy said. "I hope, today, by Mr. Rezko's voluntary return to the United States, will put to rest all this wild speculation.

"He is confident that he will be vindicated at trial," Duffy said. "Please, please honor the presumption of innocence."

Rezko, who is married with three children, was put on electronic monitoring and ordered to home confinement except for work, church, doctors' appointments and visits to his sick brother.

He is due back in court Nov. 3 in the kickback case and Nov. 9 on the other indictment, which alleges he defrauded banks to secure millions in loans.

9:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good morning everyone:

Happy Friday! :)

The GOP continues to throw one another under the bus and they're all playing the blame game! I'll be so glad to see those neocons out of office! Nov. 7th can't get here soon enough! :)

Have a great day all! :D

10:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CC & T:

Ready? Got your boots on? I got mine on...LOL

My Boots

You keep lyin' when you oughta be truthin'
You keep losing when you oughta not bet
You keep samin' when you oughta be a'changin'
What's right is right but you ain't been right yet
These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you

10:25 AM  
Blogger Phx said...

Good Morning Justice Bloggers and Fitz! :)

Happy Friday!!!

CAN YOU IMAGINE ?

Can you imagine working for a company that had 535 employees and
has the following statistics ?

29 Have been accused of Spousal Abuse
7 Have been arrested for fraud
19 Have been accused of writing bad checks
17 Have bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 Have done time for assault
71 Cannot get a credit card due to default
14 Have been arrested on drug related charges
8 Have been arrested for shoplifting
21 Are currently defendants in lawsuits
34 Have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organisation this is ?

Give up yet ?

- Crime Statistics

10:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/
george-w.-bush/we-hate-to-bring-up-
the-nazis-but-they-fled-to-south-
america-too-208549.php

Moving out one by one?

10:28 AM  
Blogger Phx said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

10:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ugg, something to do with Republicrimes?

10:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good morning GEF: :)

It has to be the GOP! LOL

BBL...

10:36 AM  
Blogger Phx said...

Anon 11:30,

Give up ?

10:37 AM  
Blogger Phx said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

10:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congress

Man, this blog is slow...

gotta run now..

10:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Or, WH Staff

Just give me a cookie! :)

gotta go now...really..LOL

10:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Or, WH Staff

Just give me a cookie! :)

gotta go now...really..LOL

10:49 AM  
Blogger Phx said...

s-q,

You're right, it is slow...

YOU WERE RIGHT S-Q...

IT'S US CONGRESS..

You're Tax Dollars at Work!

10:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.commondreams.org/
views03/1120-01.htm

In a March 2003 memo to Republican leadership, pollster Frank Luntz frankly outlined the White House strategy on energy and the environment: "The environment is probably the single issue on which Republicans in general and President Bush in particular are most vulnerable," he wrote, cautioning that the public views Republicans as being "in the pockets of corporate fat cats who rub their hands together and chuckle maniacally as they plot to pollute America for fun and profit." Luntz warned, "Not only do we risk losing the swing vote, but our suburban female base could abandon us as well." He recommended that Republicans don the sheep's clothing of environmental rhetoric while dismantling environmental laws.

The sheep called..they want their duds back. Get the narcissist sociopaths out of government. Don't see much of those grandkids anymore nor the bubbly first daughters, do we? Their task is done.

11:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off to Paraguay we go...

11:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.commondreams.org/
views03/1120-01.htm

In a March 2003 memo to Republican leadership, pollster Frank Luntz frankly outlined the White House strategy on energy and the environment: "The environment is probably the single issue on which Republicans in general and President Bush in particular are most vulnerable," he wrote, cautioning that the public views Republicans as being "in the pockets of corporate fat cats who rub their hands together and chuckle maniacally as they plot to pollute America for fun and profit." Luntz warned, "Not only do we risk losing the swing vote, but our suburban female base could abandon us as well." He recommended that Republicans don the sheep's clothing of environmental rhetoric while dismantling environmental laws.

The sheep called..they want their duds back. Get the narcissist sociopaths out of government. Don't see much of those grandkids anymore nor the bubbly first daughters, do we? Their task is done.

11:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

what about all this sick sex with
power..having grown up in a household with six brothers I felt i was worldly in my knowlege of sexual devients but I see these political power freaks have much more to teach us all about this sick doesn't -need- to be-a- part- of our-government... government....

11:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would say the most vile, evil one could imagine is hidden behind the National Security Act.

Too many strange dots seem to connect if you look into it enough. What has been done against children and the American people by our own government is indescribable. Power, greed, control and perversion in the most inhumane form. The '47 Act should be repealed. National Security should not be abused to protect criminals that could care less about our nation and humanity.

11:31 AM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

11:38 AM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening JBs:

TGIF!

Well, I guess all of learn one thing yesterday: how to upgrade a PDF file. Man, I felt like was in a classroom session: PDF file 101! LOL! It was fun yesterday. At least ti got me away from thinking about all of the discussion of the polluted GOPs.

Nan:

I know that it is differcult for you to tell Jordan to respect the elected officials in this country when they are the ones that disrespecting this country and the people. Maybe this will help Jordan to learn that he can be a better person in life. I always learn that the people who achieve more in life and make a difference are the ones who separate themselves from the mass. That is why there are few people today that are heroes.

11:40 AM  
Blogger airJackie said...

Top of the morning everyone
Nan I hope you have a great trip I'll be here when you get back.

Well Bush is staying the course and he lost total control of Iraq city to Site Militia. If that's winning I hate to see what losing is.
Judge Walton is going on vacation with work to read. Libby just might have something to say after Nov. 7th.
Now we'll see that Oct. Surprise by Karl Rove as he tries to put Americans in fear of another attack. Yes the old tapes of Bin Laden threat are being used.
Reports of Joe six pack is ahead of Lamont in the Conn. polling. Now who's voting for Joe? Is it the Dems or Indep. or Republicans. Is this one of those fake polls. I remember when Bush Senior was running against Clinton. I lived in NJ the polls showed Bush so far ahead of Clinton like 30 per cent. That election day I flew to California and when I got to my son's home he said Clinton won by a landslide. What happen with the poll numbers? I still can't figure that one out.

11:43 AM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

In the news:

Rumsfeld inspired by God.

“The top US general defended the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today, saying it is inspired by God. ‘He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country,’ said Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Inspired by God? Please.. Remind me to cross the street when the thunder bolt strikes him. Take thy Rummy to thy nursing home!

Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases

12:15 PM  
Blogger Phx said...

Howdy Biloxi, :)

quote:
Court told it Lacks power in Detainee Cases

Well I guess the Judiciary should just pack it in and go now that they're not required anymore. After all, the Constitution is suspended now so there's no need for a pesky Judiciary to get in the way of laws and stuff..

Attorney's beware, you're next..

quote:
Inspired by God? Please.. Remind me to cross the street when the thunder bolt strikes him. Take thy Rummy to thy nursing home!

Actually Rumpelt is inspired by demon gods it's true...

He's got blood on his hands and probably as much as gerbil. Ok a little less..

Many of us are just waiting on the Grim Reaper to cause Rumpelt to be:

"Expired by God!"

:)

12:27 PM  
Blogger SP Biloxi said...

"Attorney's beware, you're next.."

Hello GEF!

Yup, attorneys. They went out after the journalists for their rights..

"Actually Rumpelt is inspired by demon gods it's true..."

Rummy loss his memory on the 10 commandments. Still, cross the street, GEF, when that thunder bolt strikes Rummy! LOL!

2:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my God doesn't do war..
so i don't know who's talking to
Rummy....

9:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

anyone know of a foriegn government for sale ? this one already sold to crooked lawyers and policians and large corporationS .....we may export our money and find a nice country seeking peaceful leaders and we are willing to do without MANY premium services......CLOTHES GO FIRST !!!

11:35 PM  

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