 "I'm thinking
about impeachment," he told Chief of Staff John Harris
in a Nov. 11, 2008, phone call. "We have to factor in the reality of
that, that happening next year."Blagojevich took his potential
ouster from the governor's mansion into heavy consideration when he
was trying to arrange a job for himself or his wife in exchange for
appointing Obama friend Valerie Jarrett to the vacant Senate seat.
He hoped the pick would enable him to "parachute in somewhere" once
he was out of office.
The tapes also seem to indicate he briefly considered directing
that parachute toward the chambers of the U.S. Senate. Harris said
Blagojevich thought appointing himself could damper a federal
investigation into his relationship with convicted influence peddler
Tony Rezko.
"(Blagojevich) knew his appointment wouldn't change the facts,
but it might change the level of pursuit from federal authorities,"
Harris testified.
Little did he know he was hastening the process as the FBI
listened to his every conversation. The federal government's
investigation into his alleged abuse of power and the release of
wiretaps would bring about his impeachment within three months of
the conversations.
Blagojevich was in dire straits in 2008. His legislative agenda
was dead in the water, in part because of the efforts of Illinois
House Speaker Michael Madigan, who blocked many of his policies. His
popularity had also dropped considerably since his re-election in
2006, a problem he credited to bad press. He took special aim at the
Chicago Tribune, which had published several scathing editorials
calling for his impeachment.
The governor was looking for outs everywhere.
He tossed around a wish list for jobs for himself or his wife in
the administration or private sector. But on Nov. 12 he focused on
one alleged scheme in particular: creating a nonprofit advocacy
group funded by Obama allies. The group would work to secure health
care reform for children, but the kids weren't the only ones on his
mind. He hoped to collect millions from Obama donors while running
the group.
Harris was skeptical the plan could succeed, telling Blagojevich
"most of your big donors are not passionate about (health care)."
"I thought it was over-the-top," he testified of the scheme on
Thursday.
But Blagojevich held out hope Obama could convince "Bill Gates,
Warren Buffett, George Soros and other big-money Democratic donors"
to endow the organization with up to $20 million."
"I want that organization up and running now," he said. "I'd stay
as governor ... it'd be waiting for me (after I left office) -- it'd
be my little platform."
Blagojevich thought such a group could keep him politically
relevant, while at the same time allowing him some time away from
the public eye to repair his image.
He also wanted to use his power as governor to change his public
image for the better immediately. He repeatedly instructed Harris to
demand that Tribune owner Sam Zell fire the newspaper's editorial
board or lose state assistance for the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley
Field.
"(Tell them) we're not in a position to do (the deal) if the Trib
is going to be pushing impeachment," Blagojevich instructed Harris
on Nov. 21.
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Blagojevich, however, was not as hostile to Chicago Sun-Times
political gossip columnist Michael Sneed. Harris said the governor
planned on leaking a rumor to Sneed about his consideration of U.S.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. for the Senate seat in a last-ditch effort to
strong-arm the president-elect.
Harris testified that Obama was likely aware of the political
bargaining Blagojevich was pursuing.
The rumor, however, did not reflect any warm feelings between the
two -- Blagojevich thought Jackson Jr. was a "bad guy."
"Jesse Jr. is a repugnant thought to me," he said.
But White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel interrupted
Blagojevich's plans after contacting Harris later that day. Valerie
Jarrett, Obama's friend and his hand-picked successor to the Senate,
had taken a job with the administration.
The governor looked within his own political circle to find a
"No. 2" candidate. The haphazard way in which he tossed out names
left Harris thinking he had not put much thought into a pick that
was "best for Illinois," though he had obsessed over finding someone
who could benefit him.
The governor suggested a number of allies, including Illinois
Senate President Emil Jones, state Sen. Ricky Hendon and Rep. Ken
Dunkin, and Louanner Peters, his deputy governor. At one point he
called the largely unknown Peters his top choice, annoyed Obama
would not give him anything other than appreciation for the
appointment.
While impeachment may have weighed heavily on Blagojevich's mind,
his alleged scheming boiled down to one major concern, which he
reiterated in each conversation.
"I really need to make a lot of money -- I need the
independence," he said. "My public responsibilities ... have made my
children vulnerable."
Patti Blagojevich broke down in tears at her husband's reference
to the family.
The former governor faces up to 415 years in prison if convicted
of more than 20 counts of corruption.
Harris has been on the stand for nearly 24 hours during the past
few days, narrating and explaining tape to the jury. His testimony
will likely end on Monday, but he could be on the stand through most
of next week for cross-examination. He is testifying against his
former boss in exchange for a reduced sentence on a bribery charge.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
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