http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/09/report-illinois-governor-taken-federal-custody/
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald described the corruption charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as "appalling," saying his "cynical behavior" reached "a truly new low."
"He has been arrested in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree," Fitzgerald said at a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday -- just hours after the Illinois governor and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested on two counts each of federal corruption charges stemming from allegations Blagojevich was trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Fitzgerald said Blagojevich engaged in "pay-to-play politics" in an attempt to sell Obama's Senate seat. He said Blagojevich was recorded during court-authorized wiretaps as saying, "It's a bleeping valuable thing. You just don't give it away for nothing."
The arrest is part of a three-year probe in the governor's administration, Fitzgerald said. The criminal complaint by the FBI says each man was arrested on two charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.
The charges also relate to allegations that Blagojevich and Harris schemed with previously convicted defendants and Obama associates Antonin Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ali Ata and others to arrange financial benefits in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts and access to state funds.
Fitzgerald also said, "'We make no allegations" that Obama was aware of any alleged scheming by Blagojevich.
In addition, the charges allege that Blagojevich tried to influence the composition of The Chicago Tribune editorial board in exchange for state aid to the Tribune Company, which owns the newspaper.
Fitzgerald said Blagojevich was recorded in wiretaps as saying, "Fire all those bleeping people, get them the bleep out of there and get us some support."
The prosecutor also cited another instance in which Blagojevich allegedly said he wanted to pull back 8 million dollars in funding from the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago because he did not receive a 50,000 dollar personal contribution he had wanted from the hospital.
Blagojevich and Harris will have their initial court appearance at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan in the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago.
In an earlier statement, Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant said Blagojevich and Harris "allegedly conspired to sell U.S. Senate appointment, engaged in pay-to-play schemes and threatened to withhold state assistance to Tribune Company for Wrigley Field to induce (the) purge of newspaper editorial writers."
"Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States Senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism," he added.
Grant noted that Blagojevich was elected in 2002 after Illinois Gov. George Ryan retired in the face of looming federal corruption charges. Ryan was convicted and sentenced in 2006 to six and a half years in prison.
"Many, including myself, thought that the recent conviction of a former governor would usher in a new era of honesty and reform in Illinois politics. Clearly, the charges announced today reveal that the office of the Governor has become nothing more than a vehicle for self-enrichment, unrestricted by party affiliation and taking Illinois politics to a new low," Grant said.
