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Blago's Shadow Reaches Capital
By Joe Murray, The Bulletin
As Barack Obama attempts to define himself as a new kind of president, the White House newcomer is finding it increasingly difficult to emerge from the scandalous shadow being cast by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office released the list of subpoenas served in the current case being prosecuted against the Illinois governor.
The names of a number of key Obama White House players have found their way onto that list, a fact that could affect perceptions of the new administration.
David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, two key Obama advisers, were among those subpoenaed in the case where it is alleged Mr. Blagojevich attempted to sell Mr. Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder. Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, was also served a subpoena.
To date, the Obama administration has not been implicated in any wrongdoing. The mere fact subpoenas reached the White House underscores the point that the Blagojevich scandal could disrupt White House operations for months, if not years. It stands to redirect resources from addressing national challenges, such as the worsening economy, to playing damage control.
Yesterday, for the first time since the scandal erupted, a small number of the phone conversations recorded by the FBI were played during Mr. Blagojevich’s impeachment trial. While only four tapes were played, they highlighted the distraction the Illinois governor will have on the Obama administration by keeping the scandal alive in the news cycle.
And to make matters worse, Mr. Blagojevich remains defiant during his impeachment and pending federal trial and has launched a media campaign geared at fighting the charges in the court of public opinion.
Rather than mounting a defense in the Illinois State Capitol Building, Mr. Blagojevich hit the air waves making television appearances on popular programs such as CNN’s “Larry King Live,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today.”
Declaring “the fix was in” on a number of shows, Mr. Blagojevich told “Today” he would never receive a fair hearing and argued for further inclusion of Obama officials in the impeachment trial.
“You can conceivably bring in 15 angels and 20 saints, led by Mother Teresa, to come in and testify to my good character, my integrity and all the rest,” he said. “It wouldn’t matter. There is no chance whatsoever to have a fair hearing because they won’t give me a chance to bring witnesses to prove my innocence or even challenge the charges.”
Mr. Blagojevich has pushed for the Illinois Senate to subpoena Ms. Jarrett, Mr. Emanuel and others connected with the criminal investigation. State lawmakers denied such requests, saying they made an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office not to call certain witnesses who will have to testify in the criminal trial.
While it is unclear the impact Mr. Blagojevich’s media campaign will have on his impeachment and criminal trials, it has not negatively impacted the Obama administration.
A Diageo/Hotline poll released Tuesday showed 63 percent of Americans approving of the way Mr. Obama is running the country and only nine percent disapproving.
The number represents a 20-percent drop from last week, which showed 83 percent of Americans approved of the way Mr. Obama handled the transition. The numbers could continue to drop if the Blagojevich scandal drags on and extends its shadow over the White House.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
Over the weekend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office released the list of subpoenas served in the current case being prosecuted against the Illinois governor.
The names of a number of key Obama White House players have found their way onto that list, a fact that could affect perceptions of the new administration.
David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, two key Obama advisers, were among those subpoenaed in the case where it is alleged Mr. Blagojevich attempted to sell Mr. Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder. Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, was also served a subpoena.
To date, the Obama administration has not been implicated in any wrongdoing. The mere fact subpoenas reached the White House underscores the point that the Blagojevich scandal could disrupt White House operations for months, if not years. It stands to redirect resources from addressing national challenges, such as the worsening economy, to playing damage control.
Yesterday, for the first time since the scandal erupted, a small number of the phone conversations recorded by the FBI were played during Mr. Blagojevich’s impeachment trial. While only four tapes were played, they highlighted the distraction the Illinois governor will have on the Obama administration by keeping the scandal alive in the news cycle.
And to make matters worse, Mr. Blagojevich remains defiant during his impeachment and pending federal trial and has launched a media campaign geared at fighting the charges in the court of public opinion.
Rather than mounting a defense in the Illinois State Capitol Building, Mr. Blagojevich hit the air waves making television appearances on popular programs such as CNN’s “Larry King Live,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today.”
Declaring “the fix was in” on a number of shows, Mr. Blagojevich told “Today” he would never receive a fair hearing and argued for further inclusion of Obama officials in the impeachment trial.
“You can conceivably bring in 15 angels and 20 saints, led by Mother Teresa, to come in and testify to my good character, my integrity and all the rest,” he said. “It wouldn’t matter. There is no chance whatsoever to have a fair hearing because they won’t give me a chance to bring witnesses to prove my innocence or even challenge the charges.”
Mr. Blagojevich has pushed for the Illinois Senate to subpoena Ms. Jarrett, Mr. Emanuel and others connected with the criminal investigation. State lawmakers denied such requests, saying they made an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office not to call certain witnesses who will have to testify in the criminal trial.
While it is unclear the impact Mr. Blagojevich’s media campaign will have on his impeachment and criminal trials, it has not negatively impacted the Obama administration.
A Diageo/Hotline poll released Tuesday showed 63 percent of Americans approving of the way Mr. Obama is running the country and only nine percent disapproving.
The number represents a 20-percent drop from last week, which showed 83 percent of Americans approved of the way Mr. Obama handled the transition. The numbers could continue to drop if the Blagojevich scandal drags on and extends its shadow over the White House.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us
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