Public Official #1

1:47 pm, 9/16/05

Public Official #1
Oh God, now he's bothering other states.

As California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger considers the controversial violent videogames bill AB1179, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich urges him to sign.

Blagojevich, who signed a similar bill himself last month, wrote a letter to the former film and videogame star, urging him not to veto the bill. "Our society already restricts children's access to things like tobacco, alcohol and pornography because we know they pose a serious risk to child health and development," wrote Blagojevich.

Yeah, Doom almost put me in rehab. It takes some nerve to tell a fellow Governor halfway across the country who could beat you up with one arm how to do his job. My letter to Governor Schwarzenegger's office opens "You probably already realize this, but please ignore our Governor. You'd just be enabling him, his polls are tanked and he's probably going to prison."

Gov. Blagojevich and two top fund-raisers schemed to steer lucrative state pension deals to investment firms and consultants who agreed to donate to Blagojevich's campaign, a key figure in a widening corruption probe claims he's been told.

The unproved but explosive allegation surfaced Thursday in a federal plea deal by Chicago lawyer Joseph Cari, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee. Cari, 52, pleaded guilty to attempted extortion for his role in a kickback scheme the feds say was directed by former state teacher pension board member Stuart Levine.

Blagojevich was not specifically named in the Cari plea, which referred to him as "Public Official A." Sources confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that the governor is Official A. The administration said it had no idea who Official A is.

Top Blagojevich fund-raisers Antoin "Tony" Rezko and Christopher G. Kelly were referred to in the plea as "two close associates" of the governor who helped him "pick law firms, investment banking firms and consultants that would help Public Official A." The Sun-Times confirmed their identities through the same sources.

Cari was familiar with the teacher pension board because he was a partner and managing director of HealthPoint LLC, a New York investment firm that secured two TRS investments worth $35 million in 2003. Cari and other principals in HealthPoint contributed $30,500 to Blagojevich's $14.3 million campaign fund, records show.

Despite his ties to top national Democrats, Cari knew Levine and backed Ryan against Blagojevich.

In his plea, Cari admitted he acted as Levine's emissary and tried to get a Virginia real estate investment firm, JER Partners, to pay an $850,000 fee to an unnamed consultant who would do no work on the deal. Cari believed that if JER "hired the consultant identified by Levine, the consultant would be required to make political or charitable contributions as directed by Levine and Public Official A's associates," according to the document.

Talking to a JER lawyer, Cari said the fee "was political and this was how Public Official A handled patronage." At Levine's insistence, he repeatedly told JER officials that if the fee agreement wasn't executed, the $85 million investment JER appeared poised to secure would be dropped from an upcoming board agenda.

Cheryle Jackson, Blagojevich's communications director, downplayed the credibility of Cari's statements. "This is speculation based on testimony from an admitted extortionist who was told this by someone twice accused of extortion himself." Jackson said the feds have not contacted the governor.

I could downplay the credibility of Jackson's statements on pretty much the same grounds. In other Blagojenews, the State of Illinois is suing pharmacists and pharmacists are suing Governor Blagojevich.