Today's developments are breath taking.... only more breath taking is the role the Obama Transition team may have had in the situation.
The governor, accused of seeking cash for the political appointment of Obama's Senate replacement, is not a close associate of the President-elect. Indeed, in the affidavit, Blagojevich called Obama a "motherfucker" for wanting him to appoint an official that the governor either did not like or wouldn't receive money from. Local news reports, meanwhile, suggest that it was Obama chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel who blew the whistle on the governor.
Blago wanted payment for Jarrett in Obama's seat... Team Obama would NOT PLAY BALL
In a conversation with Harris on November 11, the charges state, Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them."
Clean hands...
Blago didn't like Obama much I take it...
“F**k him,” Blagjoveich says of Obama during a lengthy call with top aides and his wife recorded on November 10th, “For nothing? F**k him.”
And don't you recall Jarett's abrupt withdrawl from consideration for the Senate Seat?
One piece of speculation: Jarrett's abrupt withdrawal from consideration for the Senate seat suggests Obama's circle aware of the investigation.
It is clear from the complaint that Obama refused to offer Blagojevich anything for appointing Jarrett.
The key in this whole mess is that the Good Guys win, the Bad guys are doing up the river, and that Team Obama, from Rahm to Jarett, appear at face value and upon deeper inspection to have been playing by all the rules and doing things with morals.
This is key as the RNC will try to tie Blago with Obama & Rezko... they already are.... the truth very well may be that it's Team Obama who shut down the corrupt governor after all.
Update: mka193 has some local Chicago Context.
It's being said here in Chicago that Rahm Emanuel went to Fitzgerald told him what was happening and asked that the arrest be expedited...
This is very believable because Blago has been under investigation for a very long time. One reason Blago thought of appointing himself to the Senate was because he would have access to more resources once he'd be indicted. Blago is a sick individual, a politician of the worst kind, and in this instance, he tried to get a fix out of Team Obama, and the sudden speed with which this has occurred would indicate that there may have been some external pressure by the likes of Rahm to make a move before Blago had a chance to appoint a tainted Senatorial replacement.
The GOP may want to paint this with a corruption brush, possibly linking back to Rangel & now defunct Jefferson, but what's different here than the incumbent administration is that it's 100% entirely believable that the Obama team plays by the rules and cleans house, even if it's politically damaging, for the sake of doing right by the law. The fact that it's believable and entirely likely is for me at least Change I Can Believe In.
Update II: FDL has some info from Chicago on the source tied Rahm into the tip off.
On the Fox's Chicago radio station the suggestion is being made that Blagojevich called Rahm.
Update III: Bingo; go to Think Progress for video of below transcript points.
CONATY: We did receive a tip this morning that perhaps all of this came together so quickly because the Governor may have reached out to Rahm Emanuel, the president-elect’s chief of staff, in attempting to leverage filling the Senate seat. And it may have been Rahm Emanuel who tipped the scale and made this move as quickly as it did.
Update IV: The air is cleared now
But a source close to Rahm emails us that "it's not true," adding that the story is the "result of some overzealous reporting."
As a new smaller mess forms in the When did Obama talk to Whom questions... Unfortunately, this now has the potential to become a real distraction. Honestly, it would have been cleaner had Rahm/Obama tipped off the Feds. the question now arrises: How explicit was Blago's ask in relation to a Jarrett suggestion and how explicit was the answer... who gave it and was it recorded.
In due time we'll find out I surmise.
Now, please unrecommend this diary.