Oh really Barack? No one "had any inkling" about Rezko's shady dealings...

Forum Name General Discussion: Primaries
Topic subject Oh really Barack? No one "had any inkling" about Rezko's shady dealings...
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4185672#4185672
4185672, Oh really Barack? No one "had any inkling" about Rezko's shady dealings...
Posted by SaveElmer on Thu Jan-24-08 02:56 PM

Really?

Lets look at the timeline...most recent first

Just yesterday...


Sen. Obama said 'no one had an inkling he was involved in any problems' at the time of his relationship with Rezko. He was somebody who I knew and had been a supporter for many years. He was somebody who had supported a wide range of candidates all throughout Illinois. Nobody had an inkling that he was involved in any problems. When those problems were discovered, we returned money from him that had been contributed, and what is true is that I also purchased a piece of land from him. Everything was above board, and there's been no allegations that there wasn't. (CBS, 1/23/08)


and one year ago...


Sen. Obama said, 'no one had any indications (Rezko) was engaging in wrong-doing.' Well, we have returned any money that we know was associated to Mr. Rezko and that is something that if there's additional information that we don't know about, we’d be happy to return the money. The facts are this. This is somebody who was active in politics in Illinois, who I knew. Nobody had any indications that he was engaging in wrong-doing. (ABC, 1/23/07)



And before that...

Property purchase with is buddy...at 300K below asking while is new neighbor and best bud pays full price...


June 2005 - Sen. Obama and Rezko made coordinated purchase of two adjacent properties in June 2005. Sen. Obama paid $1.65 million--some $300,000 less than the asking price, while Rezko paid full price. (Chicago Tribune, 11/1/06)



January 2006 – Sen. Obama purchased a strip of adjacent land from Rezko to expand his property. To preserve the aesthetic balance, Sen. Obama also wanted to put some space between his house and the proposed fence, so he personally asked Tony Rezko if they would sell a portion of their lot. The sale closed in January 2006. (Chicago Tribune, 11/1/06)


Now...lets see what "No Inkling" means in Obamaland...I guess Barack doesn't read his hometown paper




September 2005 - Chicago Sun Times reported Rezko was implicated in kickback scheme connected to the indictment of two close associates. Sources confirmed that Rezko was the ‘close associate’ implicated in Cari’s plea agreement. The plea agreement specified that Rezko and another ‘close associate’ rewarded campaign donors with fees from teacher pension consulting contracts. (Chicago Sun-Times, 9/16/05)

...

August 2005 – Chicago Sun Times reported two close Rezko associates were indicted for kickback scheme. A Glenview businessman who federal investigators believe received a $250,000 kickback in a state teacher pension scheme has had past business dealings with gubernatorial fund-raiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the Chicago Sun-Times has found (Chicago Sun Times, 8/7/05)

...

May 2005 – Chicago Tribune reported under headline: 'Tony Rezko; Top fundraiser, adviser and close friend of Blagojevich faces scrutiny as controversies dog the administration in which he has played a crucial behind-the-scenes role.' (Chicago Tribune, 5/26/05)

...

March 2005 – Chicago Sun Times reported that Rezko was under scrutiny for using fronts to obtain minority business certification. (Chicago Sun-Times, 3/18/05)

...

July, 2004 – Chicago Sun Times reported that Rezko was under scrutiny for failing to pay pizza chain employees. (Chicago Sun Times, 7/16/04)


And what do Illinois Ethics groups say about Obama's ignorance of Rezko's dealings...

From the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform...


Sen. Obama continued relationship with Rezko after 'it became clear' Rezko 'had such serious clouds overhead.' "Nevertheless, the former state legislator and first-term U.S. senator seemingly missed plentiful warning signs that Rezko was headed for trouble with the law. 'The senator exhibited some bad judgment in continuing the relationship once it became clear that Tony Rezko had such serious clouds overhead,' says Cindi Canary, director of the nonpartisan Illinois Campaign for Political Reform." (AP, 1/22/08)


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iwwA826vvaIucJQacWaLasENCiVwD8UB3IQG0

And from The Better Government Association of Chicago...


"'Everybody in this town knew that Tony Rezko was headed for trouble,' said Jay Stewart of the Better Government Assn. in Chicago. 'When he got indicted, there wasn't a single insider who was surprised. It was viewed as a long time coming. . .Why would you be having anything to do with Tony Rezko, particularly if you're planning to run for president?'" (LA Times,1/23/08)



No inking...yeah right!