Death Threats, Blago Rumors Plague Emanuel

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid called Rod Blagojevich after the election, but before the governor’s arrest, to discourage him from appointing unelectable candidates to Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Senate majority leader sought to put the kibosh on Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, along with State Senate President Emil Jones. Reid suggested state AG Lisa Madigan or Illinois' veterans affairs chief Tammy Duckworth. More»

Guv unlikely to quit, but would give up naming Obama successor

(NEWSER) - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, under indictment for trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat, would likely now approve a bill authorizing a special election to fill the post, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times. Blagojevich—who insiders now say has decided not to resign—wants the measure to apply to future such vacancies, taking the power out of the governor’s hands. More»

No sign Chief of Staff pick tried to wheel and/or deal

(NEWSER) - Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama’s pick for White House chief of staff, had multiple conversations with Rod Blagojevich's chief of staff about Obama’s Senate seat, the Chicago Tribune is reporting. There’s no evidence that Emanuel engaged in any dealmaking for the seat, or that he knew of Blagojevich’s pay-to-play scheme. But before the election, Emanuel made a call to Blagojevich’s chief of staff to deliver a list of successors Obama would smile on. More»

No end to antics for Governor Dead Meat

(NEWSER) - Covering Rod Blagojevich—aka “Gov. Dead Meat”—has been so much fun for Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass that in today’s mailbag column, a reader asks how much he’s paying Blago for the “gift that keeps on giving.” Kass’ reply: “As our esteemed governor famously said, this thing is ‘bleeping golden.’” But Blago isn’t just a gift for Kass, he’s a gift for America, which finally gets a look at the Illinois political machine. More»

Emanuel was in touch, but nobody knew Illinois governor was trying to sell Senate seat

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's camp pronounced itself clean as a whistle today with regard to the Rod Blagojevich scandal, NBC reports. The president-elect’s team released an internal report saying that no one on the staff, including Obama himself, had any inappropriate contact with the Illinois governor as he considered appointments to fill Obama’s Senate seat. Federal investigators interviewed Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and adviser Valerie Jarrett, the report notes. More»