A tip for finding the juiciest parts of the feds’ Blagojevic complaint: seach for the word “fuck.” A few examples:
On November 11, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with JOHN HARRIS
about the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH suggested starting a 501(c)(4) organization (a
non-profit organization that may engage in political activity and lobbying) and getting “his
(believed to be the President-elect’s) friend Warren Buffett or some of those guys to help us
on something like that.” HARRIS asked, “what, for you?” ROD BLAGOJEVICH replied,
“yeah.” Later in the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that if he appoints Senate
Candidate 4 to the Senate seat and, thereafter, it appears that ROD BLAGOJEVICH might
get impeached, he could “count on [Senate Candidate 4], if things got hot, to give [the Senate
seat] up and let me parachute over there.” HARRIS said, “you can count on [Senate
Candidate 4] to do that.” Later in the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he knows
that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the Senate seat but “they’re not willing
to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them.”On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor A about
the Senate seat. During the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that
the President-elect
can remove somebody from a foundation and give the spot to ROD BLAGOJEVICH. In
regards to the Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated “I’ve got this
thing and it’s fucking
golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing.
I’m not gonna do it. And,
and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife can be heard in the
background telling ROD BLAGOJEVICH to tell Deputy Governor A “to hold up that
fucking Cubs shit. . . fuck them.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked Deputy Governor A what
he thinks of his wife’s idea. Deputy Governor A stated that there is a part of what ROD
BLAGOJEVICH’s wife said that he “agree[s] with.” Deputy Governor A told ROD
BLAGOJEVICH that Tribune Owner will say that he does not have anything to do with the
editorials, “but I would tell him, look, if you want to get your Cubs thing done get rid of this
Tribune.” Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife got on the phone and, during the continuing
discussion of the critical Tribune editorials, stated that Tribune Owner can “just fire” the
writers because Tribune Owner owns the Tribune.
That’s five times in the excerpts above. See if you can find the other thirteen.
