Blago Pal Suddenly Assumes Room Temperature

How convenient. A major figure in the Blagojevich fiasco suddenly assumed room temperature:

Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's former chief fundraiser died Saturday at a Chicago hospital, a hospital spokesman said.

Christopher Kelly, 51, arrived at Cook County's Stroger hospital by ambulance at 5:15 a.m. Saturday and was pronounced dead at 10:46 a.m., said spokesman Marcel Bright.

Bright did not know whether Kelly was conscious when he arrived in the emergency room or where he was transported from. He said the body was still at the hospital, but was to be taken to the morgue where an autopsy was to be performed.

Kelly, a suburban roofing contractor, was Blagojevich's longtime fundraiser and had been indicted on three separate federal cases, including the one that alleges Blagojevich sought to sell or trade President Obama's former seat in the U.S. Senate.

Let me guess....he committed suicide by shooting himself in the back of the head three times....He hung himself and then tied his own hands behind his back.

Don't be surprised if you find out later that his autopsy is "inconclusive" and then his remains are cremated immediately.

And one less guy will be around to sing like a canary about Blago and the Machine. Funny how that always seems to happen in Chicago.

Ah yes, the Chicago Way.

More:

Kelly raised millions of dollars for Blagojevich's campaigns and was among his closest advisers. He had pleaded not guilty to charges included in the federal indictment alleging Blagojevich sought to sell or trade President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

Kelly, who admittedly loved to gamble and ran up big debts at Las Vegas casinos and elsewhere, was part of Blagojevich's tight inner circle along with convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko. Rezko is believed to be cooperating with federal prosecutors after being convicted of taking part in a $7 million payoff scheme.

Kelly was due to report next Friday to start serving a three-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to tax fraud charges that included writing off thousands of dollars in gambling debts as business expenses.

Hmmm. Another Tony Rezko associate suddenly dead.

Laugh of the Day: 'Obama is not related to the corruption pattern in Chicago'

Except for being intimately involved in campaigns for Rod Blagojevich and being pals with the imprisoned Tony Rezko, he's squeaky clean.

Talk about circling the wagons. Nobody knows anything. Obama is just an innocent bystander, he has nothing to do with the sitting governor, who would have selected his replacement. And who knows, he still might.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Oh wait, buried deep in the 17th paragraph is the name Rezko.

Another connection is Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a Chicago real estate developer and one-time fund-raiser for both men. Obama severed ties with Rezko, who was found guilty of corruption earlier this year, but their relationship caused him some embarrassment during the presidential election campaign.

Obama severed ties? Really? You mean he showed strength of leadership by severing ties with a guy in prison? Wow, what bold vision.

"I don't think that this is going to impact one iota on Barack Obama," said Democratic strategist Doug Schoen. "Given the nature of the problems we're facing in the country, this has no relevance. No impact."

You can bet you last nickel the media will make sure of that.

'Lapse in Judgment'

Barack Obama's entire careeer has been one big lapse in judgment.

The GOP needs to air this one nonstop the next nine days. And a few Jeremiah Wright spots can't hurt.

There one video that could torpedo Obama, but the Los Angeles Times is sitting on it.

Media bias? What media bias?

Shocking New Ad Links Obama to His Friends

If we actually had a functioning media in this country, we'd see these faces a lot more. Actually, we'd see a lot less of Obama because he wouldn't be elected dog catcher if the public really knew about him.

Gateway Pundit has more.

The Rezko Obama Knows

Upon his conviction on 16 counts of fraud Wednesday, purported Democrat nominee Barack Obama claimed this wasn't the Tony Rezko he knew and he was saddened to see his bagman heading off to prison.

Right.

Of course, he's lying through his teeth.

Giggling schoolgirl Chris Matthews was unavailable for comment.

H/T Hot Air.

Obama 'Saddened' His Buddy Is Going to Prison, Lamely Calls for 'Reform'

Apparently, Barack Obama thinks we're all as stupid as the rest of his supporters.

In up to his jug ears with Tony Rezko money, he uses the occasion of his friend's conviction to call for reform.

I think the appropriate word here is chutzpah.

A day after Barack Obama sealed the Democratic nomination for president, a corruption scandal involving a fundraiser who once bankrolled his campaign resurfaced to slightly dampen the festivities.

Slightly dampen? Just imagine if a close friend and benefactor of John McCain were convicted on 16 federal counts. Would the media portray that as slightly dampening the festivities, or would it be 24/7 news?

You know the answer.

Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, 52, was convicted Wednesday of fraud, money laundering and aiding and abetting bribery in a plot to squeeze illegal payoffs out of firms hoping to do business with the state.

Republicans are already capitalizing on Rezko's ties to Obama, even though the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is accused of no wrongdoing and his name was barely mentioned at trial.

"Today's verdict and Obama's friendship with Rezko raises serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president," Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement.

Rezko's $8 million bond was revoked and he was taken into federal custody after the verdict in the nine-week trial that exposed a corrupt culture of payoffs and campaign finance abuses plaguing Illinois politics.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said the verdict represented "an antidote to the poison of corruption" that trial testimony alleged included the fixing of state boards that controlled a $40 billion pension fund and made major decisions about million-dollar hospital construction.

The trial included explosive testimony about all-night drug parties involving the government's star witness and allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich personally discussed a state job for a campaign contributor.

Rezko has known Obama since he entered politics, raised money for his Illinois campaigns and was involved in a 2005 real estate deal with him. Obama has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity.

He issued a statement saying he was "saddened" by the verdict. "But now he has been convicted by a jury on multiple charges that once again shine a spotlight on the need for reform." Obama said.

You've been warned, folks. If you slurp down the Obama Kool-Aid, don't feign surprise when his administration is mired in corruption.

As usual when it's time to toss one of his pals under the bus, The Wizard of Uhhhs says he's not the person he knew.

Weak.

Rezko Found Guilty of Hope, Change and 16 Federal Counts

This is just breaking: Barack Obama's good pal and benefactor Tony Rezko has been found guilty on 16 federal counts.

Tony Rezko — the high-flying developer and fast-food magnate who was once a major campaign fund-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and one of the governor’s closest advisers — is now a convicted felon.

A federal jury in Chicago convicted Rezko this afternoon on 16 of 24 charges he faced in a political corruption trial that cast a harsh light on the Blagojevich administration.

The verdict, reached after deliberations that spanned 12 days, could give federal authorities new ammunition in their probe of the governor’s campaign and his administration. They already have subpoenaed Blagojevich’s campaign fund, scrutinized his donors, looked into his wife’s real estate dealings and questioned potential witnesses about whether they were promised anything in return for campaign contributions, sources told the Sun-Times.

Now, facing the prospect of prison time in the corruption case, as well as two additional criminal trials on unrelated charges, Rezko is under pressure to cooperate with the continuing investigations.

Update: Thanks to Ace for the link.

Michelle Malkin's been liveblogging it.

Thanks also to Glenn Reynolds for the link.

How Do You Get the Media Interested in the Tony Rezko Trial? Mention Karl Rove

This is like that dog who keeps chasing his tail. He gets bored at the fruitlessness of it all after awhile and goes back to sleep. Of course he always wakes up having forgotten how silly he looked and proceeds to resume the pointless activity.

Today's installment of Rove Derangement Syndrome comes courtesy of Newsweek's Michael Isikoff. This should make for interesting conversation at Newsweek since Karl Rove is on the payroll over there. Maybe Isikoff is annoyed about that. Who knows, but this seems incredibily flimsy to run with.

The trial of Chicago developer and political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko has been closely watched for any mention of the defendant's onetime friend, Barack Obama. But last week, prosecutors threw a curveball, telling the judge that one of their witnesses is prepared to raise the name of another prominent Washington hand: Karl Rove. Former Illinois state official Ali Ata is expected to testify about a conversation he had with Rezko in which the developer alleged Rove was "working with" a top Illinois Republican to remove the Chicago U.S. attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald.

The allegation, which Rove denies, quickly reverberated in Washington. Democrats in Congress now want to question Ata. They believe he can help buttress their theory that Rove played a key role in discussions that led to the firings of U.S. attorneys at the Justice Department in 2006. The House Judiciary Committee "intends to investigate the facts and circumstances alleged in this testimony," panel chairman Rep. John Conyers of Michigan said in a statement to NEWSWEEK.

Not a shred of evidence to back up the claim, but let's throw it out there and see what sticks.

Investigators are intrigued by the timing of the alleged conversation about Fitzgerald. According to the Rezko prosecutors, it took place in November 2004—weeks after Fitzgerald had subpoenaed Rove to testify for the third time in another matter he was aggressively investigating, the Valerie Plame CIA leak case. A source familiar with Ata's testimony (who asked not to be identified talking about sensitive matters) said that Ata was meeting regularly with Rezko that fall. The two men shared a concern about Fitzgerald's ongoing probe of Illinois public officials. In one of those conversations, the developer allegedly told Ata that Bob Kjellander, a prominent GOP state lobbyist, was talking to Rove about getting rid of Fitzgerald. The reason: to "get a new U.S. attorney" who would not pursue the Illinois corruption probe, the source said. Ata, who has pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges and is now cooperating with the Feds, has no evidence that the conversation took place other than what Rezko allegedly told him, the source says.

No evidence, just allegations.

But that's all you need for Michael Isikoff.

Shameless.

Kjellander denies that he told Rezko anything of the kind. "I never had a discussion with Karl Rove or any other person on the White House staff" about firing Fitzgerald, said Kjellander, now a top GOP official in charge of this summer's convention. Rove's lawyer, Bob Luskin, told NEWSWEEK that Rove "does not recall" a conversation with Kjellander about Fitzgerald. He added that Rove "never talked to anybody in the White House about removing Fitzgerald."

The dog has awoken and is ready to chase his tail again.

The True Evil of Tony Rezko

Shady developer? No problem.

Mysterious connections to Barack Obama? No problem.

Fast food magnate? Now we've got a problem.

Rezko has the blood of innocent livestock, and the elevated insulin levels of a generation of young Americans, on his hands. It's time for Obama to quit stalling, and tell the voters whether or not he's ever knowingly eaten a Rezkoburger.

Rezko Photographed With Notorious Criminals

Naturally, the smartest woman in the world has no recollection.

"Today" show host Matt Lauer asked presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on Friday if she has a connection to indicted developer Tony Rezko after flashing an undated photo of the two posing with President Bill Clinton.

"You were attacking Senator Obama, in particular, his work connected to what was a so-called a slumlord in Chicago, a guy named Tony Rezko," Lauer said. "You can't see what I'm going put up on the screen ... but it is a picture of you and your husband Bill Clinton posing with that same man."

Lauer said he they were unable to verify when the photo was taken, but it most likely happened during Bill Clinton's presidency.

Clinton said she did not remember taking the picture and said she doesn't even remember meeting Rezko.

"I've probably taken hundreds of thousands of pictures," Clinton said. "I don't know the man, I wouldn't know him if he walked in the door, I don't have a 17-year-relationship with him."

Since her lips were moving, we can only conclude she's lying.

Do we really want to trust the presidency with someone who has selective amnesia?

By the way, in case anyone hasn't checked, here's a list of political contributions Rezko and his family have made since 1991.

He gave plenty to Barack Obama, but also to many others, both Republicans and Democrats, including George W. Bush, Barbara Boxer (former Clinton in-law), Jesse Jackson, Jr., John Kerry, Al Gore, Dick Durbin, the RNC, and the DNC.

I find it most amusing how this pathological liar would even bring up suspicious contributors considering how one of her biggest donors recently pled guilty and is in prison.

Does this man look familiar? Will anyone even ask her about it?

Obama's Rezko Problem

Losing ground to the The Pantsuit may be the least of Barack Obama's problems today. It appears The Magic Negro wasn't telling the truth about how much money he accepted from indicted businessman Tony Rezko.

During his 12 years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman Tony Rezko and his associates than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.

Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.

But seven months ago, Obama told the Sun-Times his "best estimate" was that Rezko raised "between $50,000 and $60,000" during Obama's political career.

Obama, who wants to be the nation's next president, has been purging some of those donations -- giving charities more than $30,000 he got from Rezko and three of his business partners referenced in Rezko's federal indictments. All three attended a lavish fund-raiser Rezko hosted for Obama four years ago.

Some simple advice. Obama better come clean on this now; otherwise the Clinton attack machine will devour him in no time. Mrs. Clinton has more than enough baggage with shady operatives (hello, Vinod Gupta!), so the public may be willing to overlook stories such as this. If primary voters detect a pattern of evasion, Obama may crumble quickly.