Eric Holder Forgets Blago.
And what was the $300,000 to be for? The Obama transition team says that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder was not paid for his preparatory work for Governor Blagojevich. But what kind of work was he not paid for?
This story in the Chicago Sun-Times this morning does not add up. In 2004 (one week after Obama won the Democratic primary for the Senate seat) Blago hired Eric Holder in order to run an "independent inquiry" ploy and bypass the legislature to get a casino to his very likely pay-for-play friends in Rosemont (in Chicago, the mob is called "the Outfit"), then the legislature nixed the hire as political expedience, then Holder left town and forgot about it. Four years ago. Then Holder filled out a confirmation hearing document and left out his work with Blago, just last Sunday December 14, 2008. Okay. People forget, as the Real Barack Obama generously acknowledges, though it is hard to avoid Blago's face on TV and in the Washington Post these days. Even still, why was Holder to be paid $300,000? For what? Obama flack Stephanie Cutter asserts that, "Holder and his firm were paid no compensation from the state for this preparatory work." There must be more to the tale. Perhaps phone calls between Blago and Holder? Does John Harris, the now resigned and prsumed cooperating suspect, have memory of Blago and Holder and their deal? Did Holder speak with Blago in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008? Here's what we have so far:
BY CHRIS FUSCO
Blagojevich and Holder appeared together at a March 24, 2004, news conference to announce Holder's role as "special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board" -- a post that was to pay Holder and his Washington, D.C. law firm up to $300,000.
Holder, however, omitted that event from his 47-page response to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire made public this week -- an oversight he plans to correct after a Chicago Sun-Times inquiry, Obama's transition team indicated late Tuesday....
....
At the 2004 press conference, Holder stressed he would be independent.
"The governor's made quite clear to me that he has no preconceived notions as to how this should turn out, that we should follow the facts, let them lead us to wherever they take us and then report to him and to the people of the state with regard to our findings,'' he said.
Despite the concerns of the Gaming Board's staff, Holder ended up a non-factor in the casino matter. The board -- this time listening to its staff's concerns -- refused to hire him, and Blagojevich on May 18, 2004, said he was scrapping Holder's probe.
"Holder and his firm did some preliminary work in anticipation of the engagement, but did not undertake the investigation itself before it was canceled," said Cutter, the Obama transition team spokeswoman. "Holder and his firm received no compensation from the state for this preparatory work.
"The 2004 press conference," she said, "was not memorable because Holder's legal work for the State of Illinois never materialized."
The state gaming license once slated to be located in Rosemont has been in limbo since Holder's brief involvement in it. A process to award the license to one of three bidders is expected to wrap up soon. Rosemont -- whose officials long have denied organized crime somehow taints their suburb -- again is a finalist to become home to a casino, along with Waukegan and Des Plaines.
A former Deputy Attorney General, Holder has faced criticism about his role in President Bill Clinton's controversial pardon of fugitive Marc Rich. His confirmation hearing is to begin Jan. 15.
The American people will have to come to grips with the fact that the political games played here do not involve them. There is no "overriding legal authority"; no underlying moral imperative, nothing of substance to dictate any proper behavior on the part of the players who themselves are charged with making the rules. All the American people can do is to stand by and watch it all unfold. Some may realize that they are being used as pawns; that public opinion is being carefully manipulated in support of some intricate power play. They may choose not to be swayed by any of the competing propaganda campaigns and keep an open mind. But it won't matter. There are enough of the others who will gladly surrender their allegiances at the drop of a hat, for a smile, for a promise, for a pat on the back.
Given all that, the only real leverage the American people have ever had is the ballot box. It is there that they must decide which one of the choices would serve their best interests. Unfortunately, this time around Americans were not offered a clear choice as ideological interests overrode common sense self interest. Still, we made a choice for better or worse. Now, we must sit back and endure the consequences. Little did we know that the party we settled on - the party that seemed so committed to a single unified approach - would find itself embroiled in in-fighting and worse, threatening to collapse the nation (once again) into self-inflicted chaos. What confidence we may have had in a quick fix is now all but gone. Witness the markets writhing in pain; witness the obfuscations of red-faced officials; witness the stammering denials. It’s all fading so fast – even before the new administration has had a chance to have spare keys made.
SOME GOOD CHICAGO BLUES PLAYIN
TO GET US ALL UP AND SWAYING>>>>>>>>So, how 'bout...
Let The Good Times Roll
Hey, everybody, let's have some fun
You only live but once
And when you're dead you're done, so
Let the good times roll, let the good times roll
I don't care if you're young or old
Get together, let the good times roll
Don't sit there mumblin, talkin trash
If you wanna have a ball
You gotta go out and spend some cash, and
Let the good times roll, let the good times roll
I don't care if you're young or old
Get together, let the good times roll
Hey Mr. landlord, lock up all the doors
When the police comes around
Just tell em that the joint is closed
Let the good times roll, let the good times roll
I don't care if you're young or old
Get together, let the good times roll
Hey tell everybody
Mr. King's in town
I got a dollar and a quarter
Just rarin to clown
But don't let nobody play me cheap
I got fifty cents more that Im gonna keep, so
Let the good times roll, let the good times roll
I don't care if you're young or old
Get together, let the good times roll
No matter whether rainy weather
Birds of a feather gotta stick together
So get yourself under control
Go out and get together and let the good times roll
I may be missing something. Neither the Sun Times or JB indicate Holder was every paid for this investigatory role. And he left it off his disclosure--but what was he was asked to disclose--every "lead" he ever had? I'm not in OB's court generally but this seems to be an alarmist story with no substance--"Alert--The moon will be partially shaded by the shadow of the earth tonight. This may continue for several billion years!!!"
help me out here.
Jim: Thanks for the correction. I wrote sloppily and ambiguously. HAve corrected. What was the $300,000 to be paid for? What kind of work? From March to May 04, when the legislature nixed it, what work? This story may come back in the confirmation hearings beginning mid January. J