Reid Has Conflict of Interest, Blagojevich Spokesman Says

[orleans]

Source: AP/Washington Post

CHICAGO, Jan. 3 -- Illinois's embattled governor said through his spokesman Saturday that Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has a conflict of interest regarding the Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Reid telephoned Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in early December to discuss the seat, said Lucio Guerrero, a gubernatorial spokesman. Guerrero said he did not know firsthand which candidates Reid supported during the call, but added that he knows Reid's candidates did not include Roland W. Burris, the man Blagojevich picked.

Senate leaders have vowed to oppose the appointment of Burris.

"I think the governor believes there is a conflict of interest -- that Reid showed he has a horse in the race and Roland Burris wasn't one of them," Guerrero said.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301719.html

---

sounds like a conflict of interest to me as well.

[Pavulon]

1. Conflict for blago, cash or check

crooked fuck messed this up big time. And threw in some race bait to boot.

Hope his silly ass ends up doing 20 years.

[orleans]

2. i hope reid loses his majority position as well. i'm sick to death of his

do nothingness (excpet when it comes to dems!)

[Pavulon]

5. blago set him up. only an idiot would accept appointment

from a man on tape selling his soul. What is he supposed to do?

[undeterred]

3. I love it.

[FrenchieCat]

4. somehow, I'm getting the feeling that War in the ME and

the economy are about to trump this bit of bit of Democratic party of housekeeping.

If Politician can no longer talk politics without a wiretap.....then it should be done on both sides.

[Pavulon]

6. Politics is not pay to play. That is illegal

even in chicago.

[orleans]

7. so how much do you think reid offered him for his own pick?

(or is that not your point?)

hey--the article says reid called him, wanting someone. now reid doesn't want to seat someone else? don't you see that as a bit of a conflict of interest there?

[Pavulon]

8. I see none, unless he is on tape

offering a bribe. Think that would have leaked by now.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Well, let me put it this way.....

I think Blago is crooked in the way that has long been done not just in Chicago, but all over the place....which is sad. The difference is that he was wiretapped, and others haven't. This is the same kind of crap that we heard from the LBJ and the Nixon tapes. I don't like Blago at all, as he seems to have that egomaniac thing going on.

Also, I don't believe that Burris or any other Democrats should have accepted the invitation to take the seat.

As far as Reid being implicated, the media will implicate whomever it can...as the media is still not our friend. Thus far they, with the help of Fritz, they have taken out Blago, Jesse Jackon Jr., were working on Rahm, tried but failed to link Obama, and are currently working on Reid. In the end, even those who hate Blago or Reid should not wish this upon the Democratic Party at this time.

That being said, this is still not as earth shattering as war (according to the cable channels who are getting their war on once again) and certainly as important as the economy.

My point is that this stuff will be played as sidelines to the bigger issues, and it should. Distraction, even of the pay to play sorts is just not what is going to make the difference for anybody at this time. It certainly ain't gonna help me pay my mortgage, create jobs, bring peace to the world, or reduce my health insurance cost.

Just sayin'.

[Pavulon]

11. Laws are important. Not every politician is a crooked

bribe taking piece of shit. Now I dont care who they affiliate with. If they bribe they need to go. If rahm was crooked he should have been booted. He wasn't, so he stays. Same goes for any elected official, including the president.

They are free to make bad policy and wreck the economy, but they cant take bribes. At least not get caught doing it.

Dont these people watch The Wire.

Blago took himself out, on tape.

[stillcool]

10. actually...it's all pay to play..

I scratch your back, you scratch mine. "If I do this can I can count on your support" etc., etc. I love how people get all excited about Blago, meanwhile the federal government puts banana republics to shame. The very idea of 'law and order', is hysterical.

[Pavulon]

12. Give me a 300k for me rigging this seat.

is not normal and quite illegal. bid rigging, kickbacks, and bribery is illegal.

Fuck blago twice, first for doing it, then for doing it on the fucking phone. Dumb motherfucker that he is.

[orleans]

13. he knew someone was listening. he kept saying it. n/t

[stillcool]

14. for some it is..

for others..not so much. It all reminds me of Governor Siegleman. Three years of investigations and all they have with Blago is his talking trash to his aides? Did the hospital get the funding? Did the newspaper fire the editorial guy? I have no idea what this guy has really done, and what he hasn't, but I have learned to trust absolutely nothing coming out of our media or our government. When is he supposed to get indicted again? 3 months from now? Fool me once...and all that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Siegelman
The 2004 trial

On May 27, 2004, Siegelman was served an indictment on federal charges, but the day after his trial began, prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges. The judge threw out much of the prosecution's evidence and stated that that no new charges could be refiled based on the disallowed evidence.

The 2006 trial

On October 26, 2005, Siegelman was indicted on new charges of bribery and mail fraud in connection with Richard M. Scrushy, founder and former CEO of HealthSouth. Two former Siegelman aides were charged in the indictment as well. Siegelman was accused of trading government favors for campaign donations when he was governor from 1999 to 2003 and lieutenant governor from 1995 to 1999. Scrushy was accused of arranging $500,000 in donations to Siegelman's campaign for a state lottery fund for universal education, in exchange for a seat on a state hospital regulatory board. Scrushy, who had served on the state hospital regulatory board over the past three Republican administrations, had recently been investigated for his part in the HealthSouth Corporation fraud scandal which cost shareholders billions

--- Siegelman was acquitted on 25 charges, including the indictment's allegations of a widespread RICO conspiracy, and his former chief of staff, Paul Hamrick, and transportation director, Mack Roberts, were acquitted of all charges.