Blago Scandal Fallout Keeps Staining Politicians
Two prominent Illinois politicians who might have been appointed senator instead of Roland Burris are in hot water.
The fact that Roland Burris will apparently be seated as the next U.S. senator from Illinois doesn’t mean that corruption charges against other candidates connected to the scandal are going to go away. That includes questions surrounding two prominent Illinois politicians who very well might have been appointed instead of Mr. Burris.
In the complaint filed by the U.S. district attorney against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the unnamed “Senate Candidate 3” played a minor role.
Pundits assert that “Senate Candidate 1″ was Barack Obama’s choice: his friend Valerie Jarrett. And “Senate Candidate 5″ was reportedly Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., a man with a better sense of “fundraising” than Carolyn-esque entitlement.
But who was “Senate Candidate 3″?
That would appear to be none other than Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). Schakowsky herself has avoided major scandal in the minefields of Illinois politics. But her husband has a deeply troubling history with non-profit organizations. This history leads to some intriguing and sordid story lines that involve other non-profits and other “Senate Candidates.”
There’s something about Jan
In 2006, Anne Leary reported that Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer, was sentenced to five months in prison and eleven months of house arrest for bank fraud and tax violations involving a non-profit called the “Illinois Public Action Council” (IPAC). The indictment charged Creamer with floating “check and wire transfer deposits between bank accounts to … hide their deficiencies … [and used] the inflated balances to pay expenses of his organization, as well as his own salary and … expenses.”
Creamer resigned his longtime leadership positions after “the FBI questioned him about a $1 million overdraft. … [He was also charged] with failing to pay more than $300,000 in federal income taxes for employees of the group and for himself between 1996 and 2000. Four other counts allege he filed false income tax returns between 1996 and 1999. … Each count of bank fraud [carried] a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and [a] $1 million fine.”
Schakowsky herself served on the board of IPAC while her husband was “swindling nine financial institutions of at least $2.3 million while he ran a public interest group in the 1990s.” And USA Today reported that Schakowsky “co-signed the fraudulent tax returns.”
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Doug Ross is an investigative journalist and satirist residing in Sunnyvale, California. He blogs at Doug Ross Journal.
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13 Comments
1. Craig:Sometimes you just have to say: “hmmmmmmm….”
Barack Obama, the Chosen One, appears to be the only person in all of Illinois who successfully navigated the uber-corrupt political landscape and come out completely unscathed.
Yah right. If it walks like a duck…..
Jan 14, 2009 - 4:27 am 2. Anton:The problem with examining Illinios politics is that it is very similar to examining the contents of a septic tank.
I shouldn’t talk though, I live in Detroit.
Jan 14, 2009 - 6:30 am 3. Ann141:Creamer….”floated checks and wire transfers” between various accounts to hide their deficiencies and then used these funds to pay organizational expenses……?????
For cryin’ out loud! Doesn’t this qualify him to to be the Secretary of the Treasury?????
This is all our Congress has been doing for MONTHS….maybe they need somebody with experience to guide them through this now publicly legislated/chosen procedure. Idiots.
It is really, really difficult to watch elected representatives with no verifiable sense of shame over anything continue to wield such destructive power over this formerly great and (still mostly) free nation.
Jan 14, 2009 - 6:34 am 4. Saltherring:Well spoken, commenters 1-3, and particularly Ann141’s comment, “It is really, really difficult to watch elected representatives with no verifiable sense of shame over anything continue to wield such destructive power over this formerly great and (still mostly) free nation.”
The problem is our remedial, indoctrinated, government-dependent electorate, who dutifully elect (and return) the incompetent and corrupt to political offices as long as there is a “D” after their name. And our empty-suited president-elect heads the all-time list of those totally unqualified for the office he ascends to. God help America, she is going to need it.
Jan 14, 2009 - 7:45 am 5. Sic Transit Gloriosky:“Repeated calls to the offices of both Jones and Schakowsky have not been returned.”
Try Rep. Schakowsky’s legislative director, Daniel Penchina:
e-mail: daniel.penchina@mail.house.gov
Jan 14, 2009 - 10:17 am 6. Libertyship46:ph:(202)225-2111
And of course the incoming Obama administration (A) knows nothing about this and (B) has pledged to do away with “pork” or “earmarks” in the estimated $800 billion stimulus package. And peaple say that I’m way too suspicious of the government spending that much of our money with absolutely no oversight. Please, if we let our government spend $800 billion it will make what happened in Illinois look like child’s play. We’re about to get hosed, ladies and gentlemen. The only question now is how much of a bath are we willing to take?
Jan 14, 2009 - 10:35 am 7. ic:“Blago Scandal Fallout Keeps Staining Politicians” Wrong caption.
Blago Scandal Fallout Keeps exposing stained Politicians.
Jan 14, 2009 - 11:04 am 8. thegre8_1:Speak loud and clear Tony Rezko and Gov Blago and take as many as you can to the big house. Maybe you will pull people out of the White House. Obama learned from Richie Daley how to keep his nose clean in the eyes of the law.
Jan 14, 2009 - 1:50 pm 9. Cybergeezer:Why isn’t this guy in Congress with his cohorts? Like Timothy Geithner Barney Frank, Charles Rangel? Nothing but allegations, so far. As Democrats say, “These are just ‘honest mistakes’” that any one (Democrat) can make. With Democrats in power in Illinois, look for complete absolution of Blaog’s “honest mistakes”.
Jan 14, 2009 - 2:07 pm 10. 2MuchMonkeyBizness:“Schakowsky authored a 2009 earmark for another Chicago-area nonprofit called ‘The Save A Life Foundation’ (SALF)”
Congresswoman Schakowsky needs to provide the dollar amount of the earmark. It’s not stated on her website: http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/2009_Earmarks.shtml
Jan 14, 2009 - 6:05 pm 11. john galt lives:You know the difference between a corrupt REPUBLICAN and a corrupt DEMOSCUM?The Repuke goes to jail(Ryan,Cunningham,etc). The corrupt DEMOSCUM gets promoted(Geitnerd,Rangel,Upchuck Schumer,William the Refrigerator Jefferson,Bubba, Hilldebeast) Ignored(Droopy Dawg Richardson, Blago, Mayor Daley, “senate candidate # 3s hubby, Diane Findslime and her hubby Richard Bloom, John the fat pig Murtha, Joe Bidens son and brother, Ted the murderer Kennedy,etc)or completely exonerated in spite of the evidence(Alcee Hastings,Brian Mahoney of Florida,OBAMASKANK). Ayn Rand had it right 50 years ago and so did Joe McCarthy. We need about 5 million Tom Paines.
Jan 15, 2009 - 11:50 am 12. mike:home grown terrorist. The SALF sectary is Illinois mayor Rita Mullins, This leg of the story involves corruption, cover ups, shake downs, quashing investigations of her police department, false documents, extortion, a $Billion exclusive contractor, and big money with the shake down of popular bar, off shore bank accounts, http://palatine-mayor-rita-mullins.blogspot.com/ http://palatine-dirt.blogspot.com/ http://judgescotillo.blogspot.com/ I am just a plumber in town, or was until one of her cops high on drugs pulled me over.
Jan 16, 2009 - 5:17 am 13. Cybergeezer:If you cannot cite any bribery, extortion, graft, or other felonious activity in your resume, you can’t be a member of the Democrats in Washington. But Blago’s out performing his superiors; Not deferring to the hierarchy. He’s being thrown to the wolves, but the wolves are friendly.
Jan 16, 2009 - 6:05 am