Top Items:
Huma Khan / Political Punch:
Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship — “Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today,” said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint …
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Chicago Breaking News:
Blagojevich arrested on federal charges — Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called a “staggering” level of corruption involving pay-to-play politics in Illinois' top office.
Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:
Chicago reporter suggests Rahm Emanuel may have ‘tipped’ off federal investigators about Blagojevich.» — Marcy Wheeler catches local Chicago press reporting that Rahm Emanuel may have tipped off federal investigators that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) was engaging in corrupt acts.
Discussion:
CNN, Minnesota Independent, TPM Election Central, Emptywheel, Gawker, Don Surber and Wonkette
Marc Ambinder:
Blago Indictment: Who Is Senate Candidate 5? — Gov. Blagojevich's own words make it clear that he did not believe that Barack Obama wanted a person called “Senate Candidate 5” to be appointed to the Senate. … In other words — if Blago doesn't get what he wanted, then he'd stiff the PEOTUS …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Chicago Sun Times, The Capitol Fax Blog, The New Republic, Gawker, ArchPundit, Eunomia and DownWithTyranny!
Chicago Tribune:
Blagojevich's Senate selection process investigated — Federal probe widens to Obama's vacant seat — UPDATE: Source: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody — A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.
New York Times:
Illinois Governor in Corruption Scandal — CHICAGO — Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois was arrested by federal authorities on Tuesday morning on corruption charges, including an allegation that he conspired to effectively sell President-elect Barack Obama's seat in the United States Senate to the highest bidder.
WBBM-TV:
Details Of Complaint Against Blagojevich — CHICAGO (CBS) ― Full release from U.S. Attorney's Office: — Illinois Gov. Rod R. 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 …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Blago calls Obama “motherf—er” — The tapes reveal a two-term governor who no longer wants his job, badly wants cash and is determined to leverage a financial benefit out of his appointment powers. — He also appears to think little of the president-elect, whom he calls a “motherf***er” at one point.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Swamp, The Field on the Narcosphere and The Caucus
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Attorney: Blagojevich has no plans of resigning — CHICAGO— The attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the governor will be vindicated and he has no plans to resign. — “He didn't do anything wrong,” attorney Sheldon Sorosky told reporters after Blagojevich was arraigned.
Chicago Breaking News:
Lt. Gov. Quinn urges Blagojevich to ‘step aside’ — Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn today called on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to step aside, at least temporarily, because the governor is “seriously impeded from carrying out his oath of office.” — “I think that should certainly be considered by the governor today.
Discussion:
TPM Election Central, FiveThirtyEight.com, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, BuzzFlash.org and Open Left
CNN:
Durbin wants special election to replace Obama — (CNN) — Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday he wants a special election called to fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat. — At a press conference with reporters on Capitol Hill, Durbin said he wants the Illinois legislature …
Discussion:
A1 WBBM Local Stories, TPM Election Central, The Fix, MSNBC, Taylor Marsh and BuzzFlash.org
Katie Allison Granju:
Note to President-Elect Obama: just tell the truth — Today, President-Elect Obama spoke out about the emerging political scandal out of Illinois involving his former Senate seat, and he denied emphatically having ever even spoken to the now-arrested governor about the matter, saying:
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs
Chicago Tribune:
Statement from Gerould Kern, editor of the Chicago Tribune — Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrives at the Tribune Tower on Monday for an interview at CNN's Chicago office. (Tribune photo by Nancy Stone / December 8, 2008) — The Chicago Tribune investigated allegations of misconduct involving Illinois …
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics, On Deadline, Emptywheel, Political Machine, TPMMuckraker, The Raw Story and Guardian
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Source: ‘SEIU official’ was Stern — A Democratic source confirms that SEIU President Andy Stern is the “SEIU official” referred to in the federal complaint against Rod Blagojevich. — There's no allegation that the SEIU official did anything wrong, and what appears to be a wiretap transcript …
Ron Kampeas / JTA:Blagojevich arrest could send Jewish rep to Senate
Discussion:
Sunlight Foundation
Michaelscherer / Swampland:BlagoGate: Obama's Burden
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Chicago Business, Kevin Drum, Hot Air, Political Punch and RedState
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:What the transition knew
Discussion:
The Hill, The New Republic, Associated Press, JustOneMinute, The Swamp and Marc Ambinder
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:A GUIDE TO THE CANDIDATES. — There are six candidates named …
Discussion:
TPMMuckraker, Chicago Sun Times, The Opinionator, NO QUARTER, ATTACKERMAN, The Volokh Conspiracy and The New Republic
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: AMAZING — Even setting aside the primordial level of corruption …
Chicago Sun Times:Charges: Illinois Governor Blagojevich shook down the Chicago Tribune
Discussion:
Braublog
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Joe the Plumber: McCain ‘appalled me’ — Joe Wurzelbacher lashed out at former GOP presidential nominee John McCain Tuesday, the man who made Wurzelbacher famous as “Joe the Plumber.” — Wurzelbacher told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that he felt “dirty” after “being on the campaign trail …
Michael Tarm / Associated Press:
Workers win a big round in Chicago factory sit-in — CHICAGO - The creditor of a Chicago plant where laid-off employees are conducting a sit-in to demand severance pay said Tuesday it would extend limited loans to the factory so it could resolve the dispute, but the workers declared their protest unfinished.
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Marist Poll:
Voters Weigh In: Cuomo and Kennedy Deadlocked for Clinton Seat — High Hopes for Secretary of State Clinton — This Marist Poll reports: — · Cuomo and Kennedy Tie...More Than a Quarter of Voters Unsure About Clinton's Replacement: While much of the buzz …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
QUOTE OF THE DAY.... A new national poll from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation finds 79% of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama has done so far. That's probably not too significant — this is still the transition period, when exercising one's limited authority is a lot easier — but 79% is still a pretty solid number.
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
A tip from Rahm? — Jack Connaty, of Chicago's Fox affiliate, reported this morning: — We did receive a tip this morning that perhaps all of this came together so quickly because the Governor may have reached out to Rahm Emanuel, the president-elect's chief of staff, in attempting to leverage filling the Senate seat.
The Daily Beast:
The Man Who Brought Down Spitzer by Scott Horton — Blogs and Stories — It's time to play Name That Goon! Rod Blagojevich vs. Tony Soprano. — Hands on buzzers: One's a trash-talking thug trying to stay one step ahead of the law. The other was played by James Gandolfini.
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