Tag Archives: Chicago Sun-Times

Were both Blago and Obama lying about Auchi?

by admin on 05. Aug, 2010 in Mainstream Media, Obama/Rezko House Purchase, Tony Rezko

Federal prosecutors were successful in revoking Tony Rezko’s bond in early 2008 when they found out the infamous Illinois fixer had taken $3.5 million from British/Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi without telling the court. Auchi is a controversial figure closely linked to Saddam Hussein over the years. For background on Auchi, check here and here. It’s [...]

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Three questions for Tony Rezko

by admin on 02. Aug, 2010 in Mainstream Media, Obama/Rezko House Purchase, Tony Rezko

As we’ve mentioned before, the mainstream press has virtually no curiosity about convicted fixer Tony Rezko any more. Let us amend that: There is no curiosity about Rezko’s relationship with Barack Obama. Former Chicago Tribune top editor James Warren, now writing for the Chicago News Cooperative, which feeds stories to the NY Times, outlines some [...]

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Sam Adam’s lawyer got one thing right

by admin on 29. Jul, 2010 in John Wyma, Mainstream Media, Rahm Emanuel, Senate Seat, Tom Balanoff

Rod Blagojevich’s cartoonish defense lawyer did get one thing right in his closing argument—that the Obama team was “negotiating” for a Valerie Jarrett appointment to the U.S. Senate. Sam Adam Jr. has just accused President Barack Obama and his transition team of negotiating with Blagojevich. The offer came from Rod to Tom Balanoff, Adam says. [...]

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Lynn Sweet passes WH spin class but flunks beginner logic and reading comprehension 101

by admin on 19. Jul, 2010 in Mainstream Media, Rahm Emanuel, SEIU, Tom Balanoff, Valerie Jarrett

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times often gets the Obama version of events first from sources inside the White House. Her reports often are sympathetic and oblivious to obvious gaps in logic. Here are a couple of whoppers from today’s Sweet blog post, complete with inside WH spin. First, Sweet says that only biased people [...]

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Obama’s rolling disclosure on Rezko a clue national press chose to ignore

by admin on 19. Jul, 2010 in Obama/Rezko House Purchase, Tony Rezko

We’ve documented how the incoming Obama administration was far from truthful when it tried to exonerate itself with the Greg Craig report. This shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone in Illinois. When Obama’s relationship with fixer/financier/fundraiser Tony Rezko started to hurt his political career, he dissembled. The Obama-Rezko relationship came under scrutiny after Rezko [...]

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Obama’s endorsement of Blago in 2006 a disgrace

by admin on 16. Jul, 2010 in Mainstream Media

Those outside of Illinois don’t fully comprehend the cravenness of Barack Obama’s endorsement of Rod Blagojevich for re-election in 2006. Yes, they belonged to the same political party. But this corruption scandal was no garden variety preliminary probe—it was the largest ever in the Illinois governor’s office. A few other prominent Illinois Democrats refused to [...]

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Did Wyma tip Emanuel off?

by admin on 13. Jul, 2010 in John Harris, John Wyma, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett

Did Blagojevich superlobbyist John Wyma tip off his good friend, Rahm Emanuel, to back away from Blago because the feds were closing in? A timeline of events certainly raises that possibility. Note that Obama and his people are pushing hard for Jarrett before the tone changes on Nov. 10, 2008: October 2008—Wyma begins cooperating with [...]

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Sun-Times’ Korecki providing standout coverage

by admin on 06. Jul, 2010 in Mainstream Media

Best coverage by far of the Blagojevich trial can be found at the Blago Blog, produced by Chicago Sun-Times federal courts reporter Natasha Korecki. She is updating testimony in nearly real time and knows the case well enough to provide necessary context. Perfectly executed web journalism. The Chicago Tribune’s blog is well informed as well, [...]

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Sharp-as-a-tack Chicago Sun-Times editorial board notices Blago is corrupt

by admin on 05. Jul, 2010 in Mainstream Media

Today the Chicago Sun-Times editorial page acknowledged it may have been slow to notice the most corrupt Governor’s office in state history—even though the clues included mountains of newspaper articles in its own paper and others and bluntly worded federal plea agreements that described Rod Blagojevich as “Public Official A.” That’s OK, Barack Obama was [...]

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