Obama Made Mafioso Land Deal

www.cartoonstock.com

Two can play, TR.

"Rezko is the kind of neighbor you want--the absent kind--and he might be absent for a long time--in the federal pen. That move upriver might keep Obama from his own residential upgrade to that big white house he's got his eye on in Washington.

OK, I'll stop. When you read the Chicago columnists having fun with the relationship between Obama and Rezko, the wiseacre rubs off on you. Here's the story, without the mustard: Barack Obama has a little real-estate scandal that raises questions about his judgment."

slate.com

"Internship also links Obama, Rezko

Fund-raiser asked senator to hire contributor's son

In addition to a land deal, Sen. Barack Obama's ties to indicted dealmaker Antoin "Tony" Rezko include an internship the senator provided the son of a contributor at the request of Rezko, an Obama spokesman confirmed Saturday."

www.suntimes.com

Rezko pleads not guilty

Obama, Blagojevich pal gets FBI escort to court
By Jeff Coen, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporters Gerry Doyle and Matt O'Connor contributed to this report

October 20, 2006

A fundraiser and close adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich (AND BARACK OBAMA) pleaded not guilty to fraud charges Thursday after being escorted to federal court by FBI agents.

The appearance in court of Antoin "Tony" Rezko ended weeks of speculation about his whereabouts that peaked after a pair of indictments were unsealed against him last week.

Federal prosecutors charge that Rezko leveraged his influence with state leaders to extort illegal payments and a campaign contribution from investment firms seeking to do business with Illinois. He is separately accused of setting up a phony transaction involving the sale of his pizza restaurants.

www.chicagotribune.com

Obama Donor Behind Problem Buildings
The Associated Press
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; 9:37 PM

CHICAGO -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he had no idea longtime friend and now-indicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko was behind problem buildings in the South Side district that Obama once represented as a state senator.

"Should I have known these buildings were in a state of disrepair? My answer would be that it wasn't brought to my attention," Obama told newspapers Monday.

Rezko's Rezmar Corp. obtained millions in government funds to rehab apartment buildings for the needy.

Court and city documents show 30 of the apartment buildings owned and managed by Rezmar have since been subject to foreclosures, code violations and lawsuits filed by the city, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in its Monday editions. About a third of those 30 buildings were in Obama's Illinois Senate district.

Telephone calls to Rezmar went unanswered Tuesday morning.

"One of the perils of public life is that you end up being responsible for, or you're held responsible for, associations that you didn't necessarily know were a problem," Obama said.

www.washingtonpost.com

"One of the perils of public life is that you end up being responsible for, or you're held responsible for, associations that you didn't necessarily know were a problem," Obama said."

Actuslly I agree with those sentiments. Too bad some of his acolytes here don't have that kind of responsible attitude towards his opponents.

I won't post the NewsMAx version of this story, lmao!!

Obama to give up money linked to donor

By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON -- Presidential candidate Barack Obama will give $16,500 in contributions linked to an indicted donor to charity, part of the Democrat's effort to distance himself from a former friend and fundraiser.
The donations came from two Chicago businessmen who worked with indicted entrepreneur Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the one-time Obama friend.

Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges that he shook down investment firms that wanted to do business with the state of Illinois. Obama last year gave charities $11,500 to clear his campaign fund of donations that had come directly from Rezko.

Obama's campaign has said it was donating to charity a $5,000 donation from Ali Ata, the former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority who was charged last week with trying to help Rezko borrow $10 million in loans.

Obama is now donating $10,000 from Joseph Aramanda, who has overseen Rezko pizza franchises involved in the investigation, and $6,500 from Dr. Paul Ray, the chairman of the urology department division of Cook County's Stroger Hospital. Aramanda and Ray have not been charged with any crimes.

www.usatoday.com

Where does the word "Mafia" or "Mafioso" appear in the story?

That is my view of what kind of land deal it was, in keeping with the headlines TR posts.

Rezko is a Syrian.

Which, again in line with TR's posts, means they might have graduated from the same madrassa, lmao!

I see the LA Times story on Hillary's underhanded campaign financing has corky a little upset and scared.

Have a good day, just checking in. Off to the Imax on the day off.

There have been no allegations that Obama, whose political fortunes are soaring as he mulls a run for president, broke the law or committed any ethics violations. He said he has done no government business with Rezko, who is facing charges in two unrelated criminal cases.

Nice try Corky.

"There's no doubt that this was a mistake on my part. 'Boneheaded' would be accurate," Obama said in a telephone interview Friday. "There's no doubt I should have seen some red flags in terms of me purchasing a piece of property from him."

Wake me up when Hillary admits her vote for the war was boneheaded.

This is somehow WORSE than, as president, having your family do business with the Saudis and Osama Bin Ladens family?

Zzzzzzz.

Wake me when they find another 'boogeyman' that has bigger teeth.