BLAGOJEVICH TAPES: Full Audio, Complete Transcripts

Four covert FBI recordings of Gov. Rod Blagojevich were played at his Illinois Senate impeachment trial Tuesday.

Listen to the recordings here:

The transcripts can be read in full below.

Tape 1

Blago Transcript 1 - Get more Business Documents

Tape 2

Blago Transcript 2 - Get more Business Documents

Tape 3

Blago Transcript 3 - Get more Business Documents

Tape 4

Blago Transcript 4 - Get more Business Documents

Source: Illinois General Assembly

Watch video of Tuesday's proceedings:

Comments

[SonyaInTx]

I think the guy's a snake, but I must say.....th­is is some flimsy evidence.

[aquarius2001]

Is that all? I mean, this can't be their "smoking G[_]N" If it is...wow, he's really been given the shaft.

[dorothyinchina]

I believe that , while these are not enough to convict him, this whole case will come down to the Children's Hospital incident. There seems to be a sufficient trail of evidence that he asked for a $50,000 contribution and then held up releasing the money to the hospital until his contribution was received. They have him telling the state Treasurer not to release the money. This is one of the few totally buttoned up incidents.­... he is heard asking for the money, naming a specific price, and then taking action when the money was late. He may only be convicted on this one count, but , hey, one is enough.

[JJ30]

Maybe I'm missing something but those tapes (or snippets) are not enough to impeach him. What other evidence do they have? The really juicy stuff will come out in the criminal trial but what I'm reading here is nothing to impeach him for.

[ChicagoDMT]

The Illinois legislature does not have to prove that Blagojevich is guilty of criminal wrongdoing. The State's constitution says that the House of Representives has to find "cause" serious enough for removal from office by a simple majority, and the Senate needs to find him guilty of the causes by a 2/3rd vote. Don't think of the impeachment procedings as a traditional court case; think of it as a review by a company to determine if an employee should be fired.

[cardtosser]

I didn't read anything in those transcripts that would lead anyone to convict him of a crime.

[joebhed]

I haven't read them all.

But I think its the same old, same old

And a little ironic that Fitzgerald has chosen this point to prove that he too has embraced the Obama spirit of bipartisanship.

Yes, both sides of the aisle are guilty.
And equally stupid.

[Ladyrantsalot]

Actually, Fitzy has been busting folks on both sides of the aisle long before "this point."

[StaggerLee]

Oh, you must mean that conviction he got against Cheney for outing a CIA operative, you know the one for treason. Oh, wait.....

[ILObamican]

The redacted portions are likely preserved for use at his criminal trial. The FBI doesn't want to tip their hand too badly, so this is what they gave the IL Senate to work with.

Not like they need a reason; the stuff that's been replayed a million times over on every media outlet under Heaven is plenty of ammo for a political procedure (and that's what this is; it isn't a criminal case).

[OYea]

Let him gamble with his OWN life... not with the citizens of Illinois!!!

NO wonder...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/12/blagojevich-deeply-in-deb_n_150728.html

A suggestion for Blago...

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/

[OYea]

Lovely... the people of Illinois are paying their governor to hang out at the track on a Wednesday afternoon?! And then he's talking to a Sport's Consultant about improvements at Wrigley Field....

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2008/pr1209_01a.pdf

With all THIS going on on 3 December 2008?!!

http://www.illinois.gov/pressreleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=7319

http://www.illinois.gov/pressreleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=7320

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/12/gopusa-illino-2.html

Well THAT might explain why the Department of Human Services, Paratranist Service and Home Help Care is in such a mess!!!

[kewe]

It's pretty darn obvious - Mr. Johnson is going to him money to name his preference to the seat. Conspiracy to commit a felony is still a felony, and a pretty big one at that.

[sector1463]

Actually it sounds like Mr. Johnston is going to set up an account for the lobbyist and Blago is helping him do it. It also sounds like he is a sports team owner of some kind.

[SGMD1]

If this is all they've got on Blago, they royally screwed up.

[NWRICK]

You are right, BUT that is not all they have.
Fitzgeral report, articles of impeachment(13), transcripts from Rezco and Ata trials, and the rest of the tapes (including the redacted portions).
I'm all for due process, but this guy is screwed.

[aquarius2001]

What are they trying to charge him with? Cuz at this point, I agree with SGMD1 that they don't have diddley squat on him to get a criminal conviction.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Ok, those snippets made no sense to me at all.