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Thadius -> RE: Connecting the dots. Obama. (9/7/2008 10:04:27 AM)
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I see folks asking for exact dollar ammounts on the donation front. The problem with an exact dollar ammount is that even the Obama campaign keeps changing it.
In Jan when this was breaking they claimed it was
quote:
The Daily Herald reported Jan 20, 2008:
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is giving charity more than $40,000 in past political contributions linked to Chicago real estate developer and fast-food magnate Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who is facing federal corruption charges, his campaign said Saturday.
Then it moved to $100k and then to about $150k then to this in March...
quote:
ABC reported March 14, 2008:
Antoin "Tony" Rezko, on trial for corruption, raised roughly $250,000 for Obama -- more than $100,000 more than had been previously discovered by enterprising reporters.
Obama also admitted that he made repeated lapses in judgement by involving Rezko in a complex house purchase, the paper reports.
As of June, the Obama campaign is still estimating that they only received around $60k from Rezko fundraising and donations. The facts show differently.
Ah, and how about specific favors for Obama? Possible violations of FEC rules?
quote:
The Sun Times reported June 18, 2007:
Burton said Obama can only estimate how much money Rezko has raised for him. Obama's staff, he said, only knows of one fund-raiser Rezko hosted for Obama -- a June 27, 2003, cocktail party at Rezko's mansion.
Sources close to both Rezko and Obama, however, said Rezko raised money often for Obama.
Burton said Friday the campaign was sticking by its original estimate that Rezko raised no more than $60,000.
The cocktail party Rezko hosted in 2003 came at a critical time for Obama. He and Rezko timed it to help Obama show he had enough money to compete in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate against millionaire Blair Hull and state Comptroller Dan Hynes.
"This was discussed a lot. They wanted to have a good showing," said a source familiar with the fund-raiser, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Tony was one of the biggest fund-raisers."
At the time of the party, the state was in the process of foreclosing on a low-income apartment building Rezko's company rehabbed in Obama's state Senate district -- a rehab project on which Obama's law firm worked. Rezko had also abandoned many other low-income apartments, leaving numerous vacant units in need of major repairs.
Rezko was indicted in October 2006 in unrelated fraud schemes.
Between 75 and 80 people attended Rezko's cocktail party, according to Burton, but he said the campaign has no list of the guests.
More than half a dozen people who were there said between 100 and 150 guests were treated to an open bar and food served by Jewell Events Catering, run by renowned Chicago caterer George Jewell. Valets parked cars for the guests, who each were asked to donate at least $1,000.
Rezko picked up the tab. The exact cost of the party has never been disclosed to the Federal Election Commission, which allows hosts to pay up to $2,000 for fund-raisers held in their homes and not report the expense. If a party costs more than $2,000, the candidate must tell the FEC about it.
Burton said, based on a conversation a former Obama staff member had with Rezko, that the party didn't cost more than $2,000.
Three days after the cocktail party, Obama got donations from several Rezko associates, Obama's campaign records show.
That is just one such example. Folks like to ignore how Tony pulled off all of his various schemes... Simply, by getting folks appointed to various boards, laundering money through other folks, kickbacks, bribes, and using insiders to mold policy so that he benefitted. Claiming that Obama was just a naive, innocent, and unwitting pawn, says at least one thing. It says that either Obama is not bright enough to realize what is or was going on, or that all of his board appointments, votes, legislation, letters written on behalf of Tony, and support is all just coincidence.
I am waiting for a detailed look into contributions under $100, if that data is even possible to parse through. Just saying that if I wanted to donate more money to a particular candidate, I would go the route of small donations via straw and fake names, as opposed to all of those dishwashers making minimum wage that donated the max allowable under law to the Clinton campaign.
Obama not mentioned in the Rezko trial? Interesting, as documents become unsealed that Obama seems to be coming up more and more....
http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/obamarez062708.pdf_20080627_00_31_25_90.imageContent
Tony, will probably act like a standup guy in some sort of deal and not mention names. However, the various paper trails are opening up, folks are speaking up, and if you think Gov. Rod is gonna keep his mouth shut, only time will tell.[8|]
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