Over at Rich’s place, Dan Curry is taking on Rich’s coverage of Joe Birkett and Mike Tristano pointing out that Tristano was an unpaid, informal advisor.
To which Rich should have replied, so’s Tony Rezko. I think one thing everyone should learn from the Blagojevich Administration is that being self-righteous when one has ties to clowns isn’t a recipe for success.
Goose Gander issues.
Here’s the difference. Rezko is entwined in myriad governmental decisions and contracts, such as tollway oases food contracts, etc. It’s probable that he’s under the microscope of one of the state and federal investigations looking at the Blago administration. Yet he’s still aboard, raising money and at the center of things. Tristano was an informal advisor to JB’s CAMPAIGN, and when it become know he was under investigation, the advice stopped. Big difference. I didn’t see anybody say anything when David Rosen, who raised money for Lisa Madigan and Blagojevich, was indicted by a federal grand jury. He was recently acquitted, but the point is, where was the consternation about that connection. Didn’t see it from Rich.
Internet ate my response. Dammit.
I think the above is a more effective way of both taking responsibility for the Tristano connection and pointing out the difference than some of your other comments. Rich can defend himself and my point is that minimizing such advisors actually makes Joe look worse in that context.
We’re going to disagree on the Cruz case, but I enjoy watching you work the blogs–sometime I’d love to have a discussion on how you approach it for a potential academic paper.
I wrote about Rosen in either the Fax or the blog several weeks or months ago. Can’t remember which, but Dan is flat wrong.
And because Roger Stanley was under the microscope (or under indictment, it’s too late at night to check) at the time of Birkett’s primary run, everyone – and I mean everyone – in Illinois politics knew that meant that Tristano would get it soon. Tristano practically lived at the Hog’s mail house during campaign season. Longtime rumors that he was getting kickbacks for each piece of mail that went out.
By the way, I personally warned Birkett about Tristano in the spring of ’02, as did others. What I recall about the conversation is that he didn’t seem too concerned.
What most people forget is that Birkett is a Lee Daniels guy. That’s what brought Tristano in. And if Dan wishes, I could flesh those Daniels connections out for him in the coming weeks. I’ve got plenty of time, now that the session is over.
The Rezko case has big-time implications for his boy, Jack Lavin, the guy with statewide aspirations who got his DCEO Director’s job only because Tony Rezko wanted him there. Lavin was also an officer in the front company for a supposed minority contractor, so his fingerprints are clearly on that scandal…which may result in indictments. His association with Rezko is an anchor that will drag Jack all the way to the bottom, and that’s no big loss for the taxpayers of Illinois.
You guys have no idea what you are saying, get your facts straight. You are trying to make a really good man look bad. Tony Rezko has done only good.
Rezko is an awesome contributer to chicago’s society. He contributes much of his time and effort for good causes. But of course, none of this is ever publicized.