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Obama Wars Title: Witness: Blago given list of Obama favorites Witness: Blago given list of Obama favorites Staff chief Emanuel relayed who president-elect wanted for Senate, Harris says Comments June 25, 2010 BY NATASHA KORECKI AND SARAH OSTMAN Sun-Times Reporters After Barack Obama friend Valerie Jarrett publicly pulled out of contention for the U.S. Senate seat appointment, Rahm Emanuel called Rod Blagojevich's top aide. Emanuel, now Obama's chief of staff, wanted Blagojevich to know the list of Senate candidates "acceptable" to Obama, according to testimony Thursday in Blagojevich's corruption trial. » Click to enlarge image After Valerie Jarrett publicly pulled out of contention for the U.S. Senate seat appointment, Rahm Emanuel called Rod Blagojevich's top aide. Emanuel had a list of "acceptable" names and it was from the then-President-Elect, according to testimony in Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial. Blagojevich calls the list "B.S." Blagojevich trial highlights • • Jurors heard that President-elect Obama sent Blago a list of recommended Senate picks. Blago, angered the Obama camp was offering him nothing but "appreciation," called the list "b---s---." • • A recorded Blago hatched an idea to coerce Obama into fund-raising $10 to $15 million from billionaires Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and J.D. Pritzker. The money would be put into a charity account that Blago and his friends would "manage." • • Top Blago aide Louanner Peters was Blago's top pick for the Senate seat for about a minute in November 2008. He reasoned she could hold the seat for him in case he got impeached. They were: Tammy Duckworth; Illinois state comptroller Dan Hynes; U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, according to Blagojevich's former chief of staff John Harris. Harris told the ex-governor of the discussion in a secretly recorded phone call Nov. 12. On the call, Blagojevich calls the list "B.S." Harris testified the former governor believed Obama's list to be political cover. "If that became public, the president-elect would want the list to represent a diverse group of individuals," Harris explained from the stand. In his fourth day of testimony, Harris walked jurors through the day-by-day developments involving Jarrett's consideration for the Senate seat and the Blagojevich administration's contacts with the Obama camp. The list Emanuel offered clashed with what union leaders Tom Balanoff and Andy Stern had previously told Blagojevich -- that they would not support Jackson as a candidate. Obama had personally called Balanoff on Nov. 3 to give him the green light in talking with Blagojevich about the Senate seat and pushing Jarrett, sources have told the Chicago Sun-Times. Emanuel's talk with Harris with a new, diverse list of candidates came two days after Emanuel called Blagojevich friend and lobbyist John Wyma with a different message, according to Harris' testimony. Wyma had contact with Emanuel and then made the call on his behalf on Nov. 10 -- several weeks after he began cooperating with federal authorities and had been asked to wear a wire, which Wyma refused. "The president-elect would be very pleased if you appointed Valerie and he would be, uh, thankful and appreciative" for an appointment, Harris said Wyma told him in a phone call. That put the brakes on Blagojevich's hopes that he could win a Cabinet position or another high-ranking, high-paying appointment in exchange for Jarrett's appointment. Blagojevich had told Balanoff the week before that he wanted Obama to give him a Cabinet position, Harris said. "They're not willing to give me anything but appreciation -- f--- them," Blagojevich says on the recording. Also in recordings Thursday, Blagojevich made clear his dislike for Jackson, calling him "repugnant" at one point. There had been "bad blood" between Blagojevich and Jackson dating back to the ex-governor's 2002 primary, Harris testified. Jackson promised to endorse Blagojevich in that race, but changed his mind when Roland Burris announced he was running. Blagojevich had held a grudge. "He's a bad guy," Blagojevich was heard saying of Jackson on the recordings.
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#1. To: All (#0)
Wow. Owe-bama's worst week to date just got a lot worse.
Learning a man that tried to destroy your company just got sentence to 18 months in prison, and fined $600,000 will make ya a happy happy man. What a great day. Now, all I have to do is select the right card to send him in prison lol.
That put the brakes on Blagojevich's hopes that he could win a Cabinet position or another high-ranking, high-paying appointment in exchange for Jarrett's appointment. Blagojevich had told Balanoff the week before that he wanted Obama to give him a Cabinet position, Harris said. "They're not willing to give me anything but appreciation -- f--- them," Blagojevich says on the recording. Wow...another article that you didn't read...
#67. To: war (#48) Keep hiding behind the bozo, bozo. (laughing) You've always been a world class pussy. Badeye posted on 2010-01-14 16:12:48 ET Reply Trace I'm biased, obviously, given the shit I'm subjected to daily here from the anti groupie. Badeye posted on 2010-06-10 11:34:31 ET Reply Trace Private Reply
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