Blagojevich is obviously a sleazy guy, but what prompted the wiretap?

[ProSense]

October Surprise?

Looking over our timeline of the Blagojevich investigation, I keep going back to late October. What happened, what information came into Patrick Fitzgerald's possession, that was solid enough to not just bring to a federal judge but to convince the judge to allow the feds to listen in on a sitting governor discussing his plans on whom to appoint to fill the President-elect's Senate seat?

There's a lot of unanswered questions here, but that's one I find especially tantalizing.

TPM Presents The Blagojevich Timeline...:

It's not yet clear whether the feds stumbled across these latest schemes in the course of their ongoing investigation, or whether some new information had come to light to prompt them to set up the tap. What is clear is that the current charges, aside from some evidence obtained from testimony prior to October, stem from a very brief time period from the end of October until December 9. And that the recorded conversations that reveal the story are dirty-mouthed enough to have been scripted by David Mamet.

(emphasis added)

The seat only became available after Nov 4. What triggered the wiretap beginning Nov. 3?

[WeDidIt]

1. In September, the Illinois Legislature Overrode Blago's veto of the ethics bill

That put a timeline in place where January 1 started severe curbs on the ability for state contractors to donate to state political campaigns.

Once the override went in place, Blagojevich began shaking down everybody. An insider at "Friends of Blagojevich" (John Wyma) blew the whistle when massive amounts of money started showing up, prompting the wiretaps.

The wiretaps revealed Blago was selling the Senate seat, something not anticipated. They expected to just get him shaking down state contractors, which is a big part of teh case they have against him. Once the Senate seat went up for sale, Fitzgerald pulled the plug on teh investigation because they had to stop this crime from being committed to save the integrity of the Senate.

[FrenchieCat]

7. And Obama is supposed to have had something to do with the Ethics bill

passing-

NYT: Obama’s Effort on Ethics Bill Had Role in Governor’s Fall
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/politics/10chicago.html?_r=3&hp=&pagewanted=all

[WeDidIt]

11. Had Obama not intervened, the override would never have happened.

I remember when Blagojevich vetoed it. Everybody expected it was dead.

Then Obama spoke up.

The rest is history.

[FLAprogressive]

9. But isn't it a BushCo hitjob?

:sarcasm:

[maddezmom]

2. John Wyma?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x408547

~snip~
Individual A
Those efforts began just months ago, in October, when, according to the criminal complaint released in the wake of the governor 's arrest Tuesday, Wyma -- believed to be the person identified in documents only as Individual A -- began talking with the FBI. The timing hardly seems a coincidence: it dovetails with the weeks, according to published accounts, that Wyma was named in a subpoena sent to former client Provena Health. The hospital company had donated money to the governor 's campaign shortly after receiving a favorable ruling.

Whatever his role in the hospital donations, Wyma's cooperation soon proved fruitful to prosecutors. According to the criminal complaint, Wyma is one of the key sources to the source of the tip that Blagojevich is using the final months of the year to raise funds through payoffs before the new state ethics law goes into effect in January. That law would sharply limit any individual or entity with state contracts worth more than $50,000 from donating to the governor's campaign coffers.

Though Wyma, according to the complaint, declined requests to wear a wire, he met with prosecutors numerous times to detail key instances of alleged payoffs he witnessed firsthand. Blagojevich's goal, according to Wyma, was to raise a total of $2.5 million before the end of the year, primarily from individuals identified on the list by Friends of Blagojevich.


For instance, he explained how on Oct. 6, he and someone identified as Individual B met with the governor and his now charged chief of staff John Harris about whether the governor could help Individual B's business venture, according to the complaint. Following the meeting, the governor allegedly asked Wyma to get Individual B to raise $100,000 for Friends of Blagojevich before the end of the year.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=7971144

lagojevich's Fundraising Shakedowns Detailed (John Wyma is Individual A)
Blagojevich's Fundraising Shakedowns Detailed
POSTED: 01:34 PM ET, 12/10/2008 by Derek Kravitz
TAGS: Congress, FBI, Rod Blagojevich, federal courts



Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, center, leaves his home through a back alley Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008, a day after being arrested on federal corruption charges. (By Mark Carlson / AP)

What ultimately led to federal conspiracy and bribery charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (aside from well-placed wiretaps)? Federal agents say it wasn't the elaborate scheme for an ambassadorship or notions that he would sell President-elect Barack Obama's now-vacant Senate seat.

It was the shakedowns.

Since October, the FBI has conducted several interviews with longtime fundraiser John Wyma, chairman of the Friends of Blagojevich campaign committee (Wyma is dubbed "Individual A" in court documents - PDF). He told federal agents that the governor was making a strong push to collect at least $2.5 million in campaign cash by Jan. 1, when stricter new ethics laws take effect in Illinois.

With Wyma's help, federal agents allegedly caught the two-term governor not only trying to raise cash from wealthy donors in exchange for favors, but threatening to withhold state money and projects if he didn't get what he wanted.

At one point, Blagojevich allegedly instructed a lobbyist to approach and solicit $500,000 in campaign money from an unnamed highway contractor (The Chicago Sun-Times says at least one of the lobbyists the governor dealt with was former chief of staff Alonzo Monk). That highway contractor stood to benefit from a $1.8 billion project to build new interchanges and "green lanes" in Illinois, an initiative announced in October.

[ProSense]

3. Very interesting. Thanks. n/t

[onenote]

4. the wiretap wasn't authorized specifically to investigate the sale of the senate seat

but rather was triggered more generally by evidence of corruption -- the conversations about extorting something of value for the senate appointment fell into their laps.

[onenote]

5. delete dupe

[goodhue]

6. Individual A began cooperating in early October . . .

read the complaint . . .

* * *

B. Evidence Concerning Corrupt Conduct by ROD BLAGOJEVICH and
JOHN HARRIS in and After October 2008

1. Evidence Concerning Efforts to Obtain Campaign Contributions
In Exchange for Official Acts

a. Information Obtained From Individual A

59. Since October 2008, the FBI has conducted multiple interviews with Individual
A, who is an associate of ROD BLAGOJEVICH and has assisted in campaign fundraising
for ROD BLAGOJEVICH.16 Individual A has advised agents that he/she has been present
for and participated in multiple conversations with ROD BLAGOJEVICH in recent months
regarding campaign fundraising. According to Individual A, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and
Fundrasier A, who is the chairman of Friends of Blagojevich, are making a strong push to
raise campaign funds before a new state ethics law goes into effect on January 1, 2009, that
will prohibit any individual or entity with existing state contracts of more than $50,000 from
contributing to entities like Friends of Blagojevich.

60. In response to questions posed by agents, Individual A has described efforts
by ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Fundrasier A to obtain campaign contributions from state
contractors by the end of the year. Specifically, Individual A advised that ROD
BLAGOJEVICH is seeking a total of approximately $2.5 million in campaign contributions
by the end of the year, principally from or through individuals identified on a list maintained
by Friends of Blagojevich. The FBI has obtained a copy of that list, which identifies
individuals and entities targeted for campaign contributions, as well as amounts sought from
those individuals and entities. A comparison of the names and entities on that list with
information available from public sources and FBI investigative files reflects that numerous
of the individuals and entities on that list have state contracts or have received public benefits
conferred by ROD BLAGOJEVICH, such as appointments to positions in state government.

61. In response to questions, Individual A has advised agents of incidents involving
efforts by ROD BLAGOJEVICH to obtain campaign contributions in connection with his
official actions as Governor. Three such incidents are related below.

* * *

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789434.pdf

[ProSense]

8. Interesting

60. In response to questions posed by agents, Individual A has described efforts
by ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Fundrasier A to obtain campaign contributions from state
contractors by the end of the year. Specifically, Individual A advised that ROD
BLAGOJEVICH is seeking a total of approximately $2.5 million in campaign contributions
by the end of the year, principally from or through individuals identified on a list maintained
by Friends of Blagojevich. The FBI has obtained a copy of that list, which identifies
individuals and entities targeted for campaign contributions, as well as amounts sought from
those individuals and entities. A comparison of the names and entities on that list with
information available from public sources and FBI investigative files reflects that numerous
of the individuals and entities on that list have state contracts or have received public benefits conferred by ROD BLAGOJEVICH, such as appointments to positions in state government.

The statement in bold seems to indicate that the Senate seat situation forced Fitzgerald's hand. If he had, in fact, caught Blagojevich in the act, that would have been a stronger case.


Still, I didn't see in that document any reference to this:

Oct. 21, 2008: The Campaign Fundraisers Are Bugged

Chief Judge Holderman authorized the bugging of two rooms in the Friends of Blagojevich office.

Oct. 29, 2008: On The Home Front

Federal investigators began wiretapping Gov. Blagojevich's home.

I did find it in Fitzgerald's statment:

[Sebass1271]

10. Could it be that the FEDS were wiretapping in search of

some illegal maneuvering from Governor and Obama? I mean, the DOJ is still republican, and maybe they were hoping for Obama to fall in their traps in early october so he wouldn't have any chances of wining the election?

The problem for the feds was that Obama is clean and as sheep, and they did not find anything on the guy..