The Underground Conservative

This was only a matter of time.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested by FBI agents in an ongoing criminal investigation into corruption involving abuse of power for personal financial gain and to obtain campaign contributions.

Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

The feds are alleging that Blagojevich put the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by Barack Hussein Obama up for sale to the highest bidder.

A 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich, a Democrat, was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps during the last month conspiring to sell or trade Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat vacated by Obama for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife. At various times, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich discussed obtaining:

• A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;
• Placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year;
• Promises of campaign funds – including cash up front; and
• A cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

You can read the criminal complain here.

The feds are saying this is a new low even for Illinois politics with its well-deserved reputation for corruption.

Robert Grant, FBI special agent in charge, also said today’s developments were a new low for the state of Illinois.

“I can tell you one thing If it isn’t the most corrupt state, it certainly is one hell of a competitor,” Grant said.

In 1973, Gov. Otto Kerner was convicted of accepting bribes from the owner of the Arlington Park and Washington Park racetracks. Gov. George Ryan is still a resident of the federal Crowbar Hotel as a result of his role in a scandal involving the illegal sale of drivers’ licenses.

Maybe they can give Blagojevich the cell adjacent to Ryan. I’m sure they have some catching up to do on old times.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of legislators is calling on Blagojevich to resign or face impeachment if he refuses to step down.

Merry Fitzmas, by the way. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is re-examining the corrupt land deal involving Anton “Tony” Rezko, the convicted felon, and The Messiah as well. The federal grand jury has subpoenaed records pertaining to the illegal sale of the property to Rezko and the Chocolate Jesus.

A former Illinois bank official, now claiming whistleblower status, says bank officials replaced a loan reappraisal that he prepared for a Chicago property that was purchased by the wife of now-convicted felon Tony Rezko, part of which was later sold to next-door neighbor Barack Obama.

In a complaint filed Thursday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Kenneth J. Connor said that his reappraisal of Rita Rezko’s property was replaced with a higher one and that he was fired when he questioned the document …

According to the complaint, Mr. Connor reviewed the appraisal of the Rezko property by another firm, Adams Appraisal, which had set the value at $625,000. Mr. Connor’s complaint said that he told his bosses in a report that the property had been overvalued by at least $125,000 and that a “reasonable and fair evaluation” should have been no greater than $500,000.

Later, the complaint states, Mr. Connor observed that his lower appraisal was not in the Rezko file and that he notified his supervisors that it had been replaced. He said, according to the complaint, the new file had been reviewed by the FBI and “if the FBI were to ask me about such matters, I would tell them the truth. I never rescinded my original findings.”

Critics of Mr. Obama’s dealings with Rezko charge that the senator may have gotten a deal on his property purchase, noting that Mrs. Rezko paid the full asking price for her property on an adjacent lot. Both of which were sold by a single seller. Mr. Obama bought his house for $1.65 million – $300,000 below the asking price.

When the property was sold, Mr. Obama knew Rezko was under investigation on fraud charges.