ChicagoTrib: Governor's arrest: Cars race up, footsteps, a phone rings

[babylonsister]

Governor's arrest: Cars race up, footsteps, a phone rings

By John Chase | Tribune reporter
December 9, 2008


Just minutes before 6 a.m. Tuesday, a pair of black sedans and an SUV raced up Richmond Street toward the personal residence of Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Sunnyside Avenue on Chicago's Northwest Side.

About the same time, the phone inside Blagojevich's home began to ring. On the other end was Robert Grant, the FBI's special agent in charge in Chicago. Two agents were outside Blagojevich's front door with a warrant for his arrest, he announced to the governor.

"Well, I woke him up," Grant recalled later Tuesday at a news conference to announce charges of fraud and bribery against Blagojevich. "The first thing {Blagojevich said} was, 'Was this a joke?' "

Grant asked the governor to quietly open the door "without the media finding out about it, without waking the children," he said. "He was very cooperative, and that's it."

Reporters and photographers for the Tribune, which had recently broken several stories about the expanding federal investigation of the governor and his administration, were also in the neighborhood and witnessed some of the activities outside the home.

The two sedans and SUV pulled up to the curb in front of Blagojevich's Mediterranean-style bungalow beside several vehicles already stationed there—the security detail for the governor and his family.

It was still dark outside, with the sun not rising for at least another hour, and a heavy rain was falling.

more...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-blagojevich-arrestdec09,0,3584149.story

[polichick]

1. I like the way this is written - like a novel...

"It was still dark outside, with the sun not rising for at least another hour, and a heavy rain was falling."

Nice.

(Title's great too!)

[babylonsister]

2. I did, too-the writer really set 'the mood'. Living vicariously over here... nt

[polichick]

3. Just added to my last post that the title is great too!

[grasswire]

4. apparently they didn't want him tipping off others

because it says that they took him now so that evidence could be preserved because it leads to others.

[babylonsister]

5. Ooh, the plot thickens. More heads will roll.

I thought they wanted to nip his senate ambitions (if he didn't get any payola) in the bud.

I'm glad he's been taken down a few pegs; this guy sounds dangerous.

[Robbien]

6. State workers say that Blago is dumb. Dumber than Bush

So yes, he is dangerous because he is so dumb.

[dysfunctional press]

7. they took him now because of the senate seat thing.

had he been allowed to make the nomination, it would have been a much bigger can of worms.

[Tashca]

8. Interesting...

I thought the Illinois Governor lived in the Governors mansion in Springfield??

At least they used too.....