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I get questions all the time, so here are a few
answers . . . The judge in Tony Rezko’s federal corruption
case has barred some evidence about the personal life of star prosecution
witness Stu Levine, saying it could prejudice the jury against his
testimony. Was he that bad?
The feds have used admitted murderers to testify
against mobsters, so whatever it is in Levine’s past that caused the
judge to ban the testimony can’t be good. Will Gov. Rod Blagojevich be indicted? It certainly looks that way. It’s more than
obvious that the prosecution is working its way up the ladder toward him.
Rezko is an extremely high rung on that ladder. If U.S. Attorney Patrick
Fitzgerald convicts Tony Rezko with evidence that shows that the
governor’s office was corrupted by money and influence,
Blagojevich’s goose could be cooked. On a different topic, Senate President Emil Jones is
now a co-sponsor of Sen. James Meeks’ income-tax-increase bill. Is
Jones really setting up a showdown with his ally Blagojevich, who has once
again threatened to veto the idea if it passes? Jones has said that his top priority this year is
uniting his horribly fractured caucus. Much of the internal dissent last
year was caused by his members’ anger at Jones’ blind
allegiance to the wildly unpopular and possibly corrupt Blagojevich.
Jones’ allegiance included going along with the governor’s
opposition to an income-tax increase. By allowing this bill to move ahead,
Jones can cool some of the hot tempers among his fellow Senate Democrats,
most of whom support an income-tax hike. Frankly, though, it really
doesn’t matter what happens to the bill. If it somehow passes the
Senate, so much the better. If the governor vetoes it, he can schedule an
override vote. His unhappy members become happier, and that may help Jones
do other things this year because they’ll be far more willing to go
along with the program. That’s all good for Jones. But don’t
expect this to become law — at least not yet.
Are we in for another long overtime session? The outlook is stormy. House Speaker Michael Madigan
is still furious at Jones for reneging on last year’s budget
agreement by refusing to override the governor’s vetoes of House
Democratic pork projects. “You only get one big lie,” was the
quote I got from Madigan. Blagojevich and Madigan are still sniping at each
other in the press. Some of Jones’ members are outraged at the way in
which some House members interfered in their primaries last month. Jones
has never been able to get past his belief that Madigan doesn’t show
him sufficient respect, and he can’t be happy with the way the
speaker has meddled in caucus business. The stage could be set for another
long one.
How could the madness be stopped? Jones is the key. Blagojevich is going to get
hammered in the next three or four months by the Rezko corruption trial.
Blagojevich, as is his wont, will likely oppose just about anything
that’s put forth by Madigan. But this trial means that he’s a
man desperately in need of friends — so if Jones breaks from his past
practice of simply following the governor down every goofy path and starts
to actually do things that the governor may not completely care for, he
might be able to persuade Madigan to go along. Despite their problems,
Madigan and Jones are cut from the same cloth. The two old bulls can
understand each other. And Blagojevich, who would be boxed out, may have no
choice but to get on board. Then again, all three men can be supremely
stubborn, paranoid, and vindictive, so I’m still betting on chaos.
Rich Miller also
publishes Capitol Fax, a daily
political newsletter, and
thecapitolfaxblog.com.
This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2008.
