Red Herrings And Dead Meat

In a sure sign that there are powerful factions in Illinois politics hellbent on getting Gov. Rod Blagojevich impeached for something, (by Lincoln’s birthday, if Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn has anything to do with it) the latest move in the Mad Hatter’s chess game has U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald petitioning the court to agree to release redacted copies of four wiretapped conversations with an unnamed lobbyist to the “Get Blago” (before he talks?) impeachment committee.  These conversations have nothing to do with the sensationalized “Hot Senate Seat Sale Scandal” accusing Blagojevich with attempting to auction off the president-elect’s vacant seat to the highest bidder, which has been tabloidized in the mainstream press…

In a motion filed Monday, Fitzgerald wrote, “Although many relevant communications were intercepted, the government believes that, on balance, it is appropriate to seek the disclosure of four intercepted calls, in redacted form, to the Committee, and that disclosure of the calls by themselves would not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation.”

The motion emphasizes prosecutors do not take a position on whether Blagojevich should be impeached.

The motion also says that while U.S. law “does not necessarily require the government to obtain judicial authorization before disclosing intercepted communications to other law enforcement or investigative officers, the government does so here out of an abundance of caution and in order to afford
the interceptees in the recorded calls an opportunity to be heard and to object, if they so choose.”

…in fact, Blagojevich’s lawyer, Ed Genson makes the case that the same “internal investigation” self generated by the Obama transition team it clears, clears Blags, too.  Check.

Genson’s next move, calling for the impeachment panel to subpoena the principals in the Senate sale drama who have been interviewed by authorities in connection with the case, namely Valerie Jarrett  and Rahm Emanuel, who will officially resign from the House on Friday, was blocked by the US Attorney on the grounds that it could interfere with the ongoing investigation.  In other words, the stuff Fitz is willing to release has nothing to do with Team O, and the stuff that does is off-limits to the “Get Blago” panel.   Hmmmmm.