Breaking – Former Obama associate Rezko sentenced to 10 years for corruption
When I first saw the headline on Fox News, I was struck by the highlighted connection between the convicted Tony Rezko and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko was a fundraiser for Blagojevich, but he was a huge fundraiser for President Obama’s original US Senate campaign too!
Here is Fox’s current breaking headline. Click on it for the full size. It reads, “Federal Judge Sentences Ex-Blago Fundraiser ‘Tony’ Rezko to 10.5 Years in Prison for Corruption.”
OK, so how about other news outlets? The Associated Press in Chicago has the following in the first paragraph of their story.
A federal judge has sentenced a former top fundraiser for Illinois’ ousted governor Rod Blagojevich to 10 1/2 years in prison for corruption, but he will get credit for time he has served.
Obama is not mentioned in the short story at all. Yes, I know this trial dealt specifically with the corrupt Illinois governor, but no mention at all? As a side note, trail experience as a defendant should be listed on Rezko’s resume for goodness sakes.
Prior to the verdict just announced, the Huffington Post had this article that has since been updated to include the actual sentence. (The first version discussing the possible sentences for Rezko.)
A former top fundraiser for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose trial exposed a culture of pay-to-play politics in Illinois, was sentenced Tuesday to serve seven more years in prison for corruption.
Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a former Chicago real estate developer and fast-food entrepreneur, has been in custody for 3 1/2 years while awaiting sentencing. He was sentenced to a total of 10 1/2 but will get credit for that time he has served.
In the Huff Post article, Obama gets a mention.
The 56-year-old Rezko also was a political fundraiser for Obama during his campaigns for Illinois senator, though not for his presidential campaign. Obama has not been accused of wrongdoing in the case, but his relationship with Rezko became an issue during the 2008 election.
As a reminder, Tony Rezko was instrumental at getting Obama’s 2003 Senate campaign kicked off, was on the finance committee for the campaign, and there were a couple of interesting land deals between the two that seem completely legal, but raised a few eyebrows.
Here is a Solon article from 2008 on Rezko with a a little bit about the Obama/Rezko relationship. Obama has nothing to hide here (legally), other than the fact he should have shown some guts and outright stayed completely out of Rezko’s circle of influence. But I guess that’s part of Chicago politics … if you want to move up, best kiss ass with the “fixers.”
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Wasn’t he the guy, well crook, who facilitated the Obama’s purchasing a house for way under the value?? Not sure, but seem to remember something about this being the person.
You are correct, Gillie.? See my comment below.
Within 48 hours MSNBC will have it to be Bush’s fault.? After all, wasn’t Bush president when Obama ran for the Senate?? Yep, Bush is to blame.
O is a clean as the driven snow, says the media. He is never connected with any of the anarchists, so be it. Basically,? Blago took the fall and the fault.
You ever see snow that has been driven over?? 😉
Not to worry, Tony, President Obama will pardon you as one of his last official acts.
You took the words right off my finger tips,sis.
I would trade that if the last official act comes next year!
?I bet his 3 1/2 years were in some cushy pen.
Club FED.
I’m curious why , if Obama hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing with regards to this guy and there isn’t any evidence to suggest as such, is everybody here so hard up to have him attached to him in this story? Is this really what it’s come to? Is there nothing else of actual consequence that could have filled this page??
Are you kidding? Everyone in Chicago scene knew Rezko was one of the bad apples of Chicago politics, yet many politicians – including Obama – kowtowed to this guy. Obama’s absolute fault was tying himself politically to Rezko when he knew the guy was bad news. It’s the Chicago way. It says a lot about Obama’s character … he’ll pay with the bad seeds just to win an election.
Yeah, we could have done more of his socialist/anarchist associations with Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, or why his life is such a secret, or his MIA college grades, or his wife’s fake job, or his illegal donations in the? 2008 elections, or how ?bama actually got on the HLR etc., etc., but this was breaking news, and the deliberate omission of Rezko’s role in ?bama’s rise was predictably missing.? That’s worthy of note (except in the mainstream media).
?
And remember: it was Hillary that brought the ?bama-Rezko connection to light in the 2008 election debates.
Hillary would know.? Before she married Bill, she grew up in a Chicago ‘burb.
This sounds like an episode of the Alex Jones show. You forgot to mention that Obama is a lizard underneath his synthetic skin.?
I knew it!!!?? 😉
Birds of a feather…..
How wonderful, a pay-to-play president.
Pun intended.
But what did Obama do? What are you saying when you talk about “having ties” to people without addressing any actual wrongdoing? What did Obama do that he needs to be mentioned in this article? I can name some shady “ties” of the Pope. What are you saying? Specifically, what wrong did he do with regards to this guy??
…..hang together!
Ham, the Zero is a product of the Chicago machine. He was elected as a rather than candidate; McCain just couldn’t get national traction. He is not a conservative and his policies advertise him as a big spending Democrat/socialist. That’s enough for me right there.