Image via Wikipedia | Election 2010: Illinois Governor | |
|---|---|
| Bill Brady (R) | 45% |
| Pat Quinn (D) | 37% |
| Rich Whitney (G) | 2% |
| Scott Lee Cohen (I) | 6% |
| Some other candidate | 1% |
| Not sure Rasmussen Reports | 8% |
In addition to talking with Gov. Blagojevich about who would fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat, Obama's newly minted chief of staff had something else on his mind: his own congressional seat.
Just after accepting the top post with Obama, Rahm Emanuel discussed with Blagojevich the possibility of keeping his congressional seat "warm" for him for a couple of years, the Sun-Times has learned.
Emanuel expressed interest in returning one day to his elected position because he was on track to become U.S. House speaker, the Sun-Times previously reported.
Bad news for Would-Be Attorney General, Eric Holder.
Before Eric Holder was President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be attorney general, he was Gov. Blagojevich's pick to sort out a mess involving Illinois' long-dormant casino license.
Blagojevich and Holder appeared together at a March 24, 2004, news conference to announce Holder's role as "special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board" -- a post that was to pay Holder and his Washington, D.C. law firm up to $300,000.
Holder, however, omitted that event from his 47-page response to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire made public this week -- an oversight he plans to correct after a Chicago Sun-Times inquiry, Obama's transition team indicated late Tuesday.
Chicago Sun-Times
Governor Blagojevich in happier days.Attorney Ed Genson says Senate leaders have already said they won't accept an appointment by Blagojevich, so there's no reason for the Democratic governor to select someone.
—Associated Press
Rezko also was friendly with Obama -- offering him a job when he finished law school, funding his earliest political campaigns and purchasing a lot next to his house. But based on the known facts, charges so far and testimony at Rezko's trial, there's no indication there'll be a so-called ''October surprise'' that could hurt the Democratic presidential nominee -- even though Rezko says prosecutors are pressing him for dirt about Obama.
Chicago Sun-Times
Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a convicted influence peddler who was once one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's most trusted confidants, has met with federal prosecutors and is considering cooperating in the corruption probe of the governor's administration, sources told the Tribune.
Rezko's possible change of heart—after years of steadfast refusal—has sent ripples through a tight circle of prominent defense attorneys who represent dozens of potential witnesses and targets in the wide-ranging probe.
