Rahm Emanuel Gave Blagojevich List Of 'Acceptable' Senate Candidates: Report

President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had direct conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich about Obama's replacement in the US Senate, FOX News Chicago reports.

Citing "a source familiar with the investigation," Fox says that Emanuel had "multiple conversations" with Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris, who was also arrested Tuesday on federal corruption charges, about the seat and that they we're "likely recorded and in FBI possession."

Fox's source said that Emanuel gave the governor's office a list of "candidates that would be acceptable to President-elect Barack Obama" but no "quid pro quo" or "dealmaking" is suspected.

Meanwhile, an angry Emanuel says he won't go to work because of the media stakeout. He told an ABC News cameraman that has received death threats:

The President-elect's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said today he won't go to the Chicago Presidential transition offices in order to avoid reporters seeking to ask him whether he had contact with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich about the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama's election.

Emanuel appeared "beet-red," according to an ABC News cameraman who was invited inside by Emmanuel to use his bathroom this morning.

"I'm getting regular death threats. You've put my home address on national television. I'm pissed at the networks. You've intruded too much, " Emanuel said, according to the cameraman.

Emanuel has refused to comment as to whether he is the un-named Presidential advisor cited in the FBI affidavit filed in the Blagojevich case. "You're wasting your time," Emanuel told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter yesterday. "I'm not going to say a word to you. I'm going to do this with my children. Don't do that. I'm a father. I have two kids. I'm not going to do it."

Comments

[gtalkspolitics]

Did everyone forget Balgo was being taped for 3 years, Believe this if there was anything stated or done that could damage Pres-Elect or anyone in his circle that would be the breaking news that's what this whole investigation was about to see if they catch Sen. Obama doing something wrong, and as 66million Americans know Obama is not going to play politics as usual.

[AdamAnt12]

Let's wait and see. The investigation is on-going. You never get to read the end of a book UNTIL the end.

PS. Tony Rezco is SINGING like a canary...AND his SENTENCING has been DELAYED!! Could it be that REZCO is once again involved? And to what extent will THIS effect Obama?

[john pa]

Ummm, yeah. Keep hoping.

[plutocrat03]

Its kind of funny to see Mr. Emanuel chafing under the scrutiny of the national press. He has been famous for savaging his opponents in many ways during his political tenure. I am surprised that he seems to be unable to stand the spotlight when he is the man in the crosshairs.

If there is nothing to hide, then the administration (Mr. Emanuel in tis case) simply has to say so. There is no reason to hide inside your house if all that has recorded by the FBI is a list of favored candidates. Speak to the press and they will have to go away. If there is something else that should not come out in the public, the this will be the first stain on the administration of President elect Obama.

So far all we have is a carefully parsed statement from the President-elect. We are waiting for a final answer.

[stacib]

I am a diehard Obama supporter, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. Obama needs to say exactly what happened without all of the very careful language. It made no sense at all for him to say that there was no contact when common sense says that, of course he would have had some conversation about who was replacing him in the Senate. Although I believe that this will ultimately turn out okay, the way he's working this thing sure looks suspicious and has added undue news cycles to be committed to "the story".

[Solja]

You sound exactly like the news people. Unplug yourself so you can think on your own.

[prostock69]

Do you actually think Obama would be stupid enough to get involved in any of the dubious actions of the Govenor? He of all people knows how things work in Chicago. He of all people know that one false move can either come back to haunt you big time or end your political career. There is nothing there but the media will not accept that because THEY, who would lie, cheat, and steal and bribe to get a news story, have a hard time believing that Obama wouldn't do the same to get what he wants.

[AdamAnt12]

3 days ago on HufPo, I was called all sorts of names for even MENTIONING that Obama and Axelrod and Emanuel were in CYA mode....talk aout people not WANTING the facts? That's the progressives when it comes to Obama.

[EdwardTx]

Where were you during the campaign? That's what the President-elect does in situations like this. He carefully parses his words. (If you like Mr. Obama it's called thoughtfulness; if you dislike him it's called evasiveness) Then the media pick apart what he says. Then he responds to them with a (very) slightly different statement and they pounce on it. Then he responds to their criticism with yet another slightly different statement. Then in come the Obama haters who say that is clearly a sign of his lack of candor.

Go back and review the Rev. Wright controversy. I would have thought that they learned something from that experience.

[adv2int]

Exactly

PE Obama thinks about everything, he is thoughtful, which is a good thing.

[AdamAnt12]

Obama choses his words closly...it's called CYA!

[prostock69]

Mr. Emanuel is chafing under the scruntiny of the press because he's receiving death threatsHe's concerned about his family WHICH has been his number worry since taking the job of Chief of Staff. If you were receiving death threats about this, would you be shooting your mouth off to the media? Especially when the media twists your words and tries to make a scanal where there is none? I think not. Don't criticize or abuse until you walked a mile in a man's shoes.

[AdamAnt12]

According to HIM he is receiveing d e a t h threats....any proof he actually HAS, though?

[ArjenBoatsma]

There's NOTHING here. Of course there must have been contact between the Obama Team and Blago about filling the senate seat. Of course it is only logical and reasonable that the Obama Team proposed some names of people who they would want to see filling this seat. This scandal is not about filling the seat, but about Blago trying to improperly benefit personally from appointing someone.

The MSM don't seem to apply any REASON at all these days, they are just hyperventilating at the slightest hint of a scandal. The scandal is Blago, but he is small fish and doesn't do anything for the national Nielsen numbers. Now try to tie it to Obama, and the national Nielsen numbers go up. However, this has nothing to do with logic or reason.

[microcosm]

join thousands of Americans fighting to improve news reporting - sign the petition
http://FixNewsNow.org - save the news media, save our country

[AdamAnt12]

Trying to CENSOR Fox news?

Forget about it.

[stacib]

I think you're right, but let's look at another scenario. What if Obama had come out the first day and admitted that he was interested in having Valerie Jarrett to replace him. He could have said that during the conversation that Rahm had with Blago, it was learned that there was cost attached to the seat. His team then contacted Patrick Fitzgerald, and that's how Blago got busted.

Now, wouldn't you think that if Obama could have answered this way, the story would have ceased to be about him by Wednesday morning and it would have been truer to the image he created during the campaign. He could have come out of this smelling like a rose. Now, I'm feeling a little poked by the thorns.

[KarenT]

Valerie Jarrett wasn't his choice...he wants her in the white house. Everything you have said is speculation so why would you expect him to say it.

[ckfan]

If you talk to average, everyday working Americans, they could care less about this issue. Why: For 2 reasons: First, because Obama did nothing wrong (per Fitzgerald). And Gov. Blago's transcripts confirm that. Second, and most importantly, Americans are scared for the future of our great country, have no money, no jobs, losing their home, etc.

This is a media generated issue. Period. If Obama had done something wrong then people would care. But, quite frankly they don't care that he presumably fumbled the ball in the way he handled a press conference. Folks, nobody cares.

I find it quite telling, that during Obama's Health Care appointment press conference, all 3 networks switched away from its coverage when a question was asked about health care. Ridiculous. That action further proved that the media only care about a pretend scandal and prospects for juicy information. This is why we are at war in Iraq now. No questions were asked by the media, but we know all the juicy details about Monica's visits with Bill.

[Kirby]

Juice, juice, juice!
She was the gander for the goose.
And did he, like an Alaskan moose,
On a blue dress, cut loose?

DNA was never done
The mess might have only come
From a gigantic sneeze
Instead of a moving squeeze

Juicy, juicy, juicy!
Did Bill get goosey?
He could've been more choosey
Or perhaps, at least, not messy.

[corkonian]

A little off-message here...

[KarenT]

You are so right.

[kassandrasduplex]

Has this kind of reporting been done before? Are we witnessing the beginning of the destruction of the Obama Administration as the corporate media did to Bill CLinton?

[Avigdor]

Emanuel is already "pissed at the networks" for trying to find out what's going on? If Team Obama can't even handle a political scandal limited to one state, what's going to happen when they have the actual power and responsibility to lead the free world? Seems to me it was very irresponsible for Democrats to put forward such an inexperienced candidate for president -- even though he was, of course, the only saint in the sewer of Chicago politics.

I just hope there's more money where the $750 million came from (spent to secure the White House) . We're going to need it, because without capitalism, it's going to be hard to turn a buck in this country.

[rob2007]

The political scandal does not exist in reality. Blagojevich is a man alone. Both right and left media are selling a juicy fabrication. Get over it; the black guy won because he is a leader with intelligence and all your revisionist history will not unseat him from the White House. Come on, come on over, the water's fine.

[Avigdor]

Come on over? Not on your life. I spent thirty years as a Democrat and had my fill. Will be supporting the president much like you supported Bush. And p.s. I don't care what color he is (but it's good to know that you do).

[ckfan]

Oh yeah, McCain, the experienced candidate, handled issues and scandals so well. Love the way he selected a VP that he only met once and clearly did not vet. Also, love the way he handled the RNC clothing for Sarah issue. And you gotta love the way he handled the chant from the right wing that Obama was a Muslim, can't be trusted, not one of us, can't trust folks from Northern Virginia, he's a socialist, yada, yada, yada.

And let's not forgot the GRAND WAY this experienced candidate handled the Keating Five. And of course, we must talk about the experienced Pres. Bush who handled 9/11 so well that he invaded a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. Plus, there's more, let's applaud the way he has handled the bail-out situation. And finally, let's give kudos to the experienced president for the way he's handling his exit from power. Unless there's a turkey to be pardoned or a tree to hang, he's no where in sight.

Uh-hu, you gotta love those so-called experienced politicians.

[AdamAnt12]

McCAIN is NOT the issue here. QNor is Bush Quit trying to flip the attention AWAY from Obama. And quit COMPARING.

[KarenT]

Rahm is pissed because he has had death threats and the media hounding him about this when he is out with two of his kids. Trust me, he can handle this kind of thing. They just aren't talking on your timetable.

[care4mypeeps]

My prayers go out to Rahm and his family, people can be so deranged and inconsiderate of the families of those who serve us in Government.

I am happy he is keeping the Media at arms length. They won't be happy and will find colorful language to describe his insistence on not talking to them yet they won't have his words to dissect and deconstruct.

[BartLA]

Blago should be the one to get threats. RESIGN ALREADY!!!

[rob2007]

He is an "anti-social narcissist with a sociopath behavioral disorder" and, of course, firmly shackled by life-long delusions of grandeur. One state rep said he possesses "a giant ego and boneheaded arrogance." This is one of the nicest things said about him. As a stunningly obtuse self-serving public servant, he will never resign because symptomatic of his delusion is the belief that he does nothing wrong. Ever. This is but one reason nobody can stand to be around him. Not politically, not personally. He truly believes he will be exonerated, because his delusion is not part-time. It defies logic that Obama and/or Emanuel would ever have anything to do with this toxic, long overdue train wreck of a man.

[Right-turn]

Honesty is the best policy Rahm. Let the sun shine in. Let the truth be known. Now is not the time to hide. Are you going to bark with the big dogs, or piss with the pups?

[Paralogos]

Easy to say when it's not your children at risk, itsn't it?

[DontCountOnMe]

DACC

You have it all wrong. The Feds have been taping this guy for a while based on info. from the Rezko trial. The only reason that they brought this matter forward was to prevent him from appointed a possible tainted senator, that 's it. There is more to this story - Rezko is singing for a lighter sentence and the Governor might do the same.

If Rahn Emanuel was the whistle blower he would have held a news conferece to this effect. Do know how much mileage they would have gotten from this. Come on, stop being so politically naive.

[Right-turn]

Rahm Emanuel is the new Karl Rove! Very shady, to say the least.........

[eqactor2]

Right-turn, you need to take one and keep on going until you run out of road.
there is NOBODY as shady and nasty as Karl Rove.
Heck, if I was at my child's performance event, I wouldn't answer their damned questions either - I think the media just gets too intrusive, period. Obama said he would call a press conference about everything that was said and written concerning the governor, and the media should take him at his word and just wait for the answer instead of hounding Mr. Emmanuel.

[DontCountOnMe]

An article written early this year by Evelyn Pringle in "Scoop, the Indendent News" described thecrookedness of Chicago politicians, how they inter-mingle, the Gov. , Obama and Tony Rezko, Mayor Daley and others. How their donors are the same; how they funnel government monies and contracts to friends who offer jobs to members of their families or themselves and make hugh contributions to their campaigns.

Obama agreed to retire some Hillary's debts in exchange for her support and she is rewarded with the Secretary of State postion. The Gov. is asking for the same deal - You want this.......give me this, or this.

No one is more fitting to recommend his successor than Obama. I believe that Obama himself and Emanuel discusssed this with the Gov., even if informally and if they didn't, that would be a great lapse in judgement.

Why would Mr. Obama deny this? Reminds me of the Rev. Wright affair. I see nothing, I hear nothing and I know nothing, followed by the big news conference a few days later, after you meet ing with your advisers and "getting your stories straight" . If you are telling the truth you don't need days to tell it.


From the Governor's utterances, in exchange for Obama's pick, he wanted the post of Secretary of Health and Human services, an Ambassadorship or a CEO of a non-profit outift. These terms were rejected by Obama, and the counter offer might have been insulting, hence his anger towards Obama

[chitown8]

Fund raisers is one thing. In Chicago Democrats are Democrats when it is in their best interest. Obama and Daley not connection. Obama and Blago no connection. SO what this is a free country if he heard Wright so what. That is not illegal. Blago and Daley used to be connected thriugt Mell (Father in law of Blago) That was broken off years ago. Blago is a crook period. Most Dems would not touch him with a 4ft pole. There is no linkage. Stop looking or you might find something you are not looking for.

[rob2007]

Dear Sir:

Did you know: "USA Today determined this week that "[o]n a per-capita basis ... Illinois ranks 18th for the number of public corruption convictions the federal government has won from 1998 through 2007," behind both Dakotas, Alaska, Alabama, Florida and several other states." (from Media Matters).

You have successfully bought into the media's hyperventilating addiction to gin up a "complex interwoven scandal" where the reality is: There is no there there. The "intermingled" politics of Chicago is an historic sexy media creation that is perpetuated today by "reporters" who are rabidly driven to be the next Woodward and Bernstein; and damn journalistic integrity: "Deep Throat? We don't need no stinkin' Deep Throat!"

Do some research before you mindlessly ingest and promptly regurgitate trumped-up innuendos and allegations as Truth. You just might extend your lifespan by lowering your blood pressure.

[stacib]

"If you are telling the truth, you don't need days to tell it". My sentiments exactly. The rest of your post is a bit suspect, but the quoted sentence hits the nail on the head.

[gurukalehuru]

So, the President elect Chief of Staff "had contact with" the governor of Illinois. As news, I would say that rates somewhere up there with "sun rises in the morning."

[rnadna]

"President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had direct conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich about Obama's replacement in the US Senate, FOX News Chicago reports."

FOX News! That says it all! This may be nothing more than pure fabrication!

This is the repub propaganda lies generating outlet...NOT news!

[brodon]

This is the repub propaganda lies generating outlet...NOT news!

You're right.

Those stinking Republicans.

[KarenT]

I would expect Obama's COS to have conversations with the Gov to discuss possible Senate replacements. Doesn't mean he did anything illegal.

[Thefamilyvan]

Really, the media should not post personal information on political staffers families or homes, even if it is accessible on internet. Where is our public decency and respect for people? As for Fox News, they will go to any length to spread rumors, and innuendo in order to get a right wing spin started. Fox News is the National Enquirer of television news, except most have more respect for National Enquirer. They slam everyone equally regardless of political affiliation. Rahm E. is a hard working congressman for the Illinois citizens he represents. The only reason why Repubs don't like him is because he works so hard and passionately for the causes he believes in, therefore, he has many right wing detractors who disagree with his philosophies. He should wear their dislike for him as a badge of pride and honor. I'd worry more if they LIKED him!

[tigerlyly]

He's already so pissed he won't go to work because of the media? Can't wait to see what he does when Obama actually takes office. Good Luck Rahm! You're going to need it.

[rob2007]

No, you're going to need it with overcoming your cynicism.