The real reason the Blagojevich tapes won’t be unsealed
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
The real reason the Blagojevich tapes won't be unsealed is because it would expose the widespread corruption at the highest levels of our government.
Like we at IP2P have been telling you for a long time, Blago will be set free. In other words, he is successfully blackmailing his way out of prison!
Here's how it will work:
A three-judge panel hearing Blago's appeal has already taken the first step by announcing that the Blagojevich tapes would remain sealed.
Next, the same three-judge panel will find that Blago did not try to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. The court will say that Blago was just engaged in "political horse trading."
Blago's conviction for trying to sell the Senate seat will be overturned, and combined with a few other slick legal maneuvers, his sentence will be drastically reduced. Instead of spending 12 more years in federal prison, Blago will most likely be home for the holidays this year.
Time served! Which will make Dick Mell's daughter, Patti, very happy.
But more importantly for people like Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel, the court will have bought the silence of Rod and Patti Blagojevich.
As IP2P has been pointing out all along, the issue has never been whether or not the wiretap tapes would prove Blago's innocence. From the very beginning, the real issue for Blago has been leverage, and who else would go down with him if the tapes were played.
And that's why Blago never really wanted the tapes to be played. If they were, he would lose his leverage. It's that simple.
If not for the fact that Patrick Fitzgerald was protecting other guilty parties, Blago would have most certainly faced even more charges and most likely would have been found guilty of them as well.
Conclusion:
Playing the tapes would not prove Blago's innocence or get him out of prison. It would just get him company in there.
However, not playing the tapes ensures that those who would join Blago in prison if the tapes were played will do everything in their power to get him out of prison so the tapes won't be played.
And just as we expected, there was no objection to the tapes remaining under seal from Blago and his attorneys. Even though all we've heard for years from them was "Play the tapes, play all the tapes."
There's nothing complicated about it. This is BLACKMAIL 101.
And clearly Eric Holder and the DoJ is onboard.
Much more to come ..... including how John Chase and Jeff Coen of the Chicago Tribune are complicit in this corruption cover-up. And wait until you hear Blago attorney Sheldon Sorosky's incredible explanation of why Chase was never called to testify in the Blagojevich trial.
You won't believe what Shelly had to say!
Rod Blagojevich continues to insult the people of Illinois
Hugo Floriani, Investigative Reporter
Rod Blagojevich continues to insult the people of Illinois. He obviously thinks we are stupid.
That is the only way to explain Blago's ridiculous behavior when it comes to the subject of federal wiretap recordings in his case.
Here's the latest:
Rod Blagojevich's attorney's recently filed a motion objecting to prosecutors' request to have the tapes continue to remain under seal.
No kidding, Blago apparently thinks that the people of Illinois will believe the fairytale that he actually wants the tapes and transcript to be made public.
Rod, let me try to put this delicately for you.
In a pigs eye! We already know that there is not a snowball's chance in hell that you want those tapes in the public domain.
Because if you did, your lawyers would be filing motions to drag Chicago Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen into court to explain who gave them copies of tapes and transcripts that were under court seal.
And Rod, you and your attorneys sure as hell would not have just sat there silently as Chase and Coen told your potential jury pool that the contents of the "sealed tapes and transcripts" prove your guilt rather than your innocence.
Which is exactly what they did while touring Illinois promoting their book, Golden.
In addition, Blagojevich's attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, has admitted that there is nothing legally stopping the former governor from revealing to the public the full details of conversations that were captured on tape. But so far Blago has chosen not to do so.
However, we know for a fact that he has been using the tapes to blackmail his way out of prison.
We also know that Blago, the prosecutors, and an untold number of other miscreants want the tapes to remain sealed forever.
So Rod, contrary to what you think, we are not that stupid. Either drag Chase and Coen into court and start telling us what is on those tapes, or shut the hell up about them!
Keepers of the Blagojevich Tapes Under Investigation
Thomas Barton, Investigative Reporter
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility and Office of the Inspector General are looking into the circumstances surrounding the Chicago Tribune's role in the Blagojevich case.
Here’s why.
The federal government granted Chicago Tribune employees John Chase and Jeff Coen the power to decide whether the public gets to hear the court-sealed Blagojevich wiretap tapes, or read any of the transcripts.
So far, they’ve decided that we can neither listen to the audio tapes, nor read the transcripts, of any of them.
Oh, they did refer to a couple of inane, innocuous conversations in their book. However, so far, they’ve decided that they, the Keepers of the Blago Tapes, and only they, should hear the tapes or read the transcripts.
They don’t want us to hear, for example, the conversation Blagojevich had with former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert on November 5, 2008.
They don’t want us to hear the conversation Blago had with former Obama Chief of Staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on November 8, 2008.
They don’t want us to hear the conversation Blago had with Obama's political consultant Bill Knapp on November 12, 2008.
Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers consider these conversations important enough to be included in their Appellate Brief filed on behalf of their client. Curiously though, Blago's attorneys are not asking that those conversations be made public either.
If Appeals Attorney Len Goodman believes these conversations are important enough to include in an Appellate Brief for his client Rod Blagojevich, why wouldn’t the two fed-appointed Keepers of the Blago Tapes take advantage of the public’s interest in those conversations and increase the circulation of their employer’s newspaper by printing the transcripts?
Instead of digging for the truth, the “Keepers” have gone underground. Meanwhile, Blagojevich’s legal team has essentially endorsed the idea that the tapes should never be played for the public.
What’s up with that?
The DoJ investigators are on the case: Don't expect much from them.
However, IP2P has learned of a developing front that should concern those who have colluded to keep the truth from We the People.
Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office caught lying
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
Shared Ethics in Government Breakfast Meeting- March 14, 2013
On May 6, 2013, veteran reporter Barbara Hollingsworth, who now writes for CNS News, reported that Chicago Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen revealed that the feds were their source for the sealed Blagojevich wiretap tapes and transcripts the reporters refer to in their book "Golden."
Following that story, IP2P has just learned this:
Months before Chase and Coen's source was revealed, Randall Samborn, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, insisted that the government did not give Chase and Coen access to the Blago tapes or transcripts. That claim was documented in the email below.
From: [email protected]
To: < redacted >
Sent: Wed Dec 5 07:28:01 UTC 2012
Subject: RE: Media inquiry re USA v Blagojevich
Let me be clear, the government did not provide the authors access to any non-public materials and I reject your assertion. As I said, we are done with this.
From: < redacted >
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 1:25 PM
To: Samborn, Randall (USAILN)
Subject: Re: Media inquiry re USA v Blagojevich
Randall
Are you refusing to give me the same access that was given to John Chase and Jeff Coen?
(Name redacted)
Imagine Samborn's surprise when he learned that Chase and Coen "burned" their source by revealing that it was, in fact, the U.S. Attorney’s office that gave them access to the court sealed documents they refer to in their book. Below is Samborn's response when asked about the new development.
From: Randall Samborn (USAILN)
To: < redacted >
Sent: 2013-05-14 18:01:35 +0000
Subject: RE: Media inquiry (Tribune reporters)
No comment
From: < redacted >
Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 12:49 PM
To: Samborn, Randall (USAILN)
Subject: Media inquiry (Tribune reporters)
Mr. Randall Samborn
Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen have revealed that the federal government was the source that provided them with the Blagojevich wiretap tapes and transcripts that were under court seal and never made public.
What is your response to Chase and Coen exposing the Federal Government as their source?
(Name redacted)
Chicago Tribune reporters work for Federal Government
https://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/05/06/chicago-tribune-reporters-work-for-federal-government/
So, after the feds insisted they did not provide access to the Tribune reporters, and Chase and Coen revealed that the feds did, the federal government has now changed its position to "No Comment."
It’s obvious that the feds gave Chase and Coen access to sealed material, and then lied about it. And that begs this question: Why the lie?
The Tribune won’t ask that question because they’re part of the lie. And the Sun Times won’t ask because they’re complicit in the lie. So we ask it here. Why the lie?
As well as: What other lies during the Blago saga were told by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and advanced by the Tribune?
Developing story......
CNS News gets Blagojevich story right
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
Heads up reporting at CNSNews.com sets them apart from the rest of the media. CNS News is the only media outlet that picked up on what is the most important story surrounding the Blagojevich appellate brief filed with the court on Monday, July 15, 2013. THE TAPES! (You know, the ones that Blagojevich wants played and only Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen have copies of)
So, while the MSM put their stenographers on Blago's appeal, CNS News, who employs real Journalists, came away with an important story everyone else in the media is missing.
CNS News Excerpt:
Blagojevich’s lawyers also claimed that Zagel “misled” the jury regarding the legal standards needed to prove fraud, extortion and bribery by “excluding evidence of the defendant’s good faith” and “misstating" his defense in Zagel’s instructions to jurors.
Five days prior to Blagojevich’s arrest early on Dec. 9, 2008, Chicago Tribune reporter John Chase called his press aide and informed him that the governor was being wiretapped by the FBI. Blagojevich instructed his brother, Robert, to call off a meeting he had scheduled with Jackson supporter Raghu Nayak.
Prosecutors incorrectly characterized the cancelled meeting and Nayak’s “vague offer” to raise $1.5 million for Blagojevich if he appointed Jackson to the Senate as “soliciting a bribe,” Blagojevich’s lawyers contended.
However, the brief made no mention of the fact that Chase and fellow Tribune reporter Jeff Coen were given exclusive access to 1,800 pages of court-sealed federal wiretap transcripts that Blagojevich was not allowed to use for his defense. Blagojevich’s defense team never called Chase to testify about how he and Coen got access to the tapes, which they quoted extensively in their book, “Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself Out of the Governor’s Office and into Prison,” which was published last fall.
While on their book tour, the authors insisted there was “no legal ban” on publishing excerpts from the same tapes that Zagel would not allow Blagojevich to play in court.
Neither reporter responded to an inquiry by CNSNews.com about whether they would make the tapes publicly available.
Read entire CNS article here: Blagojevich Appeal: ‘One-Sided’ Rules Barred Defense From Playing Tapes
Bravo Barbara Hollingsworth and CNS News for getting it right.
Who will investigate the government leaks to David Axelrod’s pals at the Chicago Tribune?
Thomas Barton, Investigative Reporter
During the news about the Obama regime spying on the press, don't neglect this question: Why hasn't the Inspector General asked John Chase and the Chicago Tribune who in the federal government is leaking sealed information to them?
Why, after assigning a host of federal agents and spending piles of federal dollars to investigate Rod Blagojevich and corruption in Illinois, did Chase and the Tribune get to pull the plug on the federal wiretaps with impunity? Is anyone asking that question besides IP2P? No. Why not?
And, why was the Tribune, and only the Tribune, given access to the Blagojevich wiretap recordings that were never made public? We’re wondering if David Axelrod is still the de facto editor of the paper, and if former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's image as an “Elliot Ness crime-fighter” was all fabricated by the media - led by the Tribune?
Throughout the Blago saga has the Trib only reported what they are told to report by the feds?
Chicago Forward Speakers
James Compton, Tribune Editors Gerould Kern and Bruce Dold, Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel
And finally, why is the Office of the Inspector General concerned about some leaks and not about others? So many questions. So few answers.
-----Original Message-----
From:<redacted>
To: DOJOIG FraudComplaints (OIG)
Sent: 2013-06-07 18:09:18 +0000
Subject: Inspector General investigation?
Has the Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the U.S. Attorneys Office Northern Dist of Illinois pertaining to leaks from that office to the Chicago Tribune?
(Name Redacted)
-----Original Message-----
From:<redacted>
To: William J Birney (OPR)
Sent: 2013-06-05 15:40:21 +0000
Subject: OPR Investigation
Mr. William J. Birney
Has the Office of Professional Responsibility or the Inspector Generals Office opened an investigation into the serious DOJ leaks that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald talked about in his press conference, as noted in the Illinois pay-to-play article below?
(Name redacted)
-----Original Message-----
From: <redacted>
To: William J Birney (OPR)
Sent: 2013-06-01 19:56:53 +0000
Subject: Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald takes the Fifth
Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald takes the Fifth
https://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/06/01/former-u-s-attorney-patrick-fitzgerald-takes-the-fifth/
Coming soon
What Blago's lawyers had to say.
Hey, Chicago Tribune: Why are you helping Rod Blagojevich blackmail the Feds?
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
A proven reliable source reports that Rod Blagojevich is attempting to blackmail his way out of prison.
And, there are indications that the feds are in the process of capitulating to Blago’s demands, aided by the collaborative assistance of the ChicagoTribune, in what amounts to a cover-up of a crime.
(Read this email thread from bottom to top)
Top
-----Original Message-----
From: <redacted>
To: Len Goodman
Sent: 2013-05-24 17:24:37 +0000
Subject: Is it a real appeal?
Mr. Len Goodman
It has come to my attention, that there is a strong possibility your client Rod Blagojevich is blackmailing former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the federal government.
Are you familiar with the interview Rod Blagojevich did with Brian Ross?
(Sender redacted here and below when not otherwise indicated)
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: <redacted>
To: "Kimberly Nerheim" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 1:08:10 PM
Subject: Fwd: Brian Ross 8-26-2010 Blago threatens
Kimberly
Please contact me about these very important matters.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----- Forwarded Message -----
From:<redacted>
To: "Randall Samborn" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 1:00:28 PM
Subject: Fwd: Brian Ross 8-26-2010 Blago threatens
Randall Samborn
Looks like Rod Blagojevich's decision to go the route of extortion might be working for him? . In plain site on ABC.
Do you think if he does not get the deal he wants Rod Blagojevich will tell the public the information Patrick Fitzgerald supposedly wanted the morning he arrested Blago.
More important does Patrick Fitzgerald want information about corruption at the level that Blago speaks of in this interview.
Blago say's some very telling things in this interview with Brian Ross that will help expose the truth. Simple questions, who told John Chase that the feds had a wire on Blagojevich and that John Wyma was cooperating with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
Who,what,why,when and where was the decision made to warn Blago ?
Why is no one asking ? That last question was rhetorical, I know why no one is asking.
Randall, lets not forget our discussions about these matters. Maybe this is one of those times that calls for a Special Counsel to be appointed.
Trial or not, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered starting with the ones John Chase has never answered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bottom
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: <redacted>
To: <redacted>
Sent: Monday, March 7, 2011 9:54:37 AM
Subject: Brian Ross 8-26-2010 Blago
Pertinent memory refresher.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/video/rod-blagojevich-reveals-jail-activity-11493201
Pop quiz:
Question. Why did the feds give the Blago wiretap tapes and transcripts to the Chicago Tribune and only the Tribune?
Answer. So the Tribune could lie and tell the public that there is nothing on the tapes that Rod Blagojevich could use to blackmail the Feds.
Question. Why are the Chicago Tribune and their reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen refusing to report what is on the tapes and transcripts?
Answer. They are part of the criminal cover-up dubbed "Chicagogate"
Question. Why are the Blagojevich brothers reevaluating whether or not the public should hear the tapes or read the transcripts that they and their attorneys would not shut-up about in the past?
(Read this email thread from bottom to top)
Top
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Blagojevich
To: <redacted>
Sent: 2013-05-09 19:10:09 +0000
Subject: Re: Inquiry (your statement)
<Name redacted>
Understand this; everything I've either written to you or said is off the record.
Please respect my position.
Rob Blagojevich
Sent from my iPhone
------------------------
On May 9, 2013, at 1:33 PM, <redacted> wrote:
Robert
If you cannot go on the record stating that it is unacceptable for the Feds to give Tribune reporters and only Trib reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen copies of sealed tapes and transcripts, tapes and transcripts that yourself and Rod were not allowed to keep.
You are making a statement.
Are you sure this is the statement you want to make?
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: <redacted>
To: Robert Blagojevich
Sent:Thu May 9 02:55:54 UTC 2013
Subject: Fwd: Inquiry
Robert
How does Rod's appeal have anything to do with whether you believe the tapes should be made available to others in the Media?
The Feds gave access to the tapes to the Chicago Tribune, and only the Trib.
And, according to John Chase and Jeff Coen, the Tribune can grant Rod and yourself your wish, and publish the transcripts.
All I am asking is: Do you still believe that all the wiretap tapes should be played?
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Robert Blagojevich
To: <redacted>
Sent:Thu May 9 02:38:16 UTC 2013
Subject: Re: Inquiry
To clarify and be specific, I don't want to say anything publically until my brother's appeal has been heard.
At that point I will reevaluate.
Sorry about the confusion of my previous email. Rereading it, it confused me as well.
Robert
------------------------
On May 9, 2013, at 9:22 AM, <redacted> wrote:
Robert
I do not understand. You and Rod have repeatedly expressed your desire for the public to hear all the wiretap tape recordings.
Help me understand.
Do you still believe the wiretap tapes should be played for the public?
What has changed?
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Blagojevich
To: <redacted>
Sent:Thu May 9 11:40:36 UTC 2013
Subject: Re: Inquiry
(Name redacted)
At this point what I believe Chase and Coen should do has to remain with me until Rod's appeal is completed.
I hope you can understand my position.
Robert
---------------------
On May 8, 2013, at 2:51 PM, <redacted> wrote:
Robert
Do you believe Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen should publish the wiretap transcripts they received from the Feds that were never made public?
Bottom
-----Original Message-----
From: <redacted>
To: Robert Blagojevich
Sent: 2013-05-07 15:03:50 +0000
Subject: Tapes and Transcripts
Robert
John Chase and Jeff Coen had this to say "no legal ban on us publishing" when asked about the wiretap tapes and transcripts that were never made public.
Tapes and transcripts that they received from the Feds.
Don't you think it's time for people to publicly insist that they do publish them?
Perhaps, if you ask.
Conclusion: If the Feds keep their word and release Blago from jail, the Blagojevich brothers will never reveal what’s on the wiretap tapes that the feds don’t want you to know.
Here's a question: Should you trust the Tribune Company?
Particularly now that it’s becoming clear that it works for the federal government.
Answer. I think not!
To Trib Editor Gerould Kern: Tear down this wall…
Thomas Barton, Investigative reporter
Chicago Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen say the Feds gave them access to the Blagojevich wiretap tapes and transcripts they used in writing their book entitled “Golden.”
This access was granted to them when the material was under seal and unavailable to anyone else, in or out of the media.
IP2P has learned that Coen has made another claim – one that takes the cozy relationship between the Tribune and the Feds to a whole new level. Remember, the Feds initially leaked information to the Tribune about the existence of the Fed’s wiretap on Blago.
When asked about the sealed Blagojevich tapes and transcripts that the Feds shared with the two reporters for their book, Coen replied that the leaked material was “the Tribune's business.” He refused to elaborate.
In other words, talk to my boss. So we’ve talked to Coen’s boss.
Tribune Editor Gerould Kern was asked why the Trib has failed to share the tapes and transcripts with its readers.
Kern will not respond.
We call upon the Chicago Tribune to inform its readers and publish the transcripts. After all, they represent news, and the paper is supposed to be in the news business.
There is no legal ban on printing the material. Chase and Coen have already referred to tapes in their book. But there they only quoted material from inane conversations with little news value to Chicagoans.
In other words, they teased their readers, but didn’t inform them.
So to Gerould Kern we say: Tear down this wall that hides the Blagojevich tapes.
Chicago Tribune reporters work for Federal Government
Thomas Barton, Investigative Reporter
In an interview with veteran reporter Barbara Hollingsworth, Chicago Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen revealed that the Feds gave them the tapes and transcripts that the U.S Attorney's office still refuses to share with anyone else.
That begs this question: Why did the Feds give the Trib reporters, and only the Trib reporters, access to this incendiary material?
Here’s our answer: So that Chase and Coen could assure you that there’s "Nothing to hear on these tapes, folks. Move along now."
Consequently, we believe the Trib reporters colluded with the Feds, with the complicity of the Tribune management, in order to dupe you, the public.
We also question why we’ve heard no outrage from Rod Blagojevich or his attorneys. Do you suppose there’s a "back-room deal" to trade Blago's silence for his early-release from prison?
John Chase and Jeff Coen have revealed none of the taped conversations, they say the Feds gave them, that recorded Blago’s conversations with multiple prominent persons in the Washington D.C. halls of power.
To change that, why don’t Chase and Coen start by sharing the Rahm Emanuel-taped conversations with Chicagoans? He is our Mayor, after all.
As this story unfolds, and as the true reasons for Patrick Fitzgerald having been appointed U.S. Attorney Northern District of Illinois become clear, it will also become clear that this level and scope of corruption requires the co-operation of the Chicago media.
The struggle to remain a free people requires an honest "Fourth Estate." And today, Chicago doesn't have one.
Read Hollingsworth's article here: Source of Leaked Transcripts of Blagojevich Tapes
H/T Chicago Daily Observer:
BREAKING NEWS: Blagojevich Attorney calls out Chicago Tribune reporters
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
Kudos to the Chicago Daily Observer for their relentless pursuit of the truth. (Unlike the Tribune Co., which is largely responsible for the prostitution of the dead-tree "Fourth Estate" in Chicago.)
Today, at the Chicago Daily Observer, you’ll find an example of legitimate journalism displayed by Barbara Hollingsworth, as we learn that one of the Blagojevich attorneys has gone on-record stating that Chicago Tribune reporters Jeff Coen and John Chase are lying about having had access to the federal wiretap tapes and transcripts – material that was never made public.
And, furthermore, that the U.S. Attorney's Office was so concerned about the contents of the tapes being leaked, they insisted that the Blagojevich's and their attorneys return all copies of tapes and transcripts back to the government.
Excerpt:
Michael Ettinger, one of the defense attorneys for Blagojevich’s brother, Robert, was even blunter: “If Jeff Coen said he listened to the 500 hours of tapes, he's a liar," Ettinger told me in a recent email. “The government wanted all tapes, copies and transcripts returned before [Robert’s case] was dismissed out.” Ettinger added in a follow-up phone conversation with me that, “Rod’s team had to give them back, too. No one kept them.”
Read more of Hollingsworth's article here: Just How Did those “Sealed” Blagojevich Tapes Get to the Tribune Reporters?
Hats off to Barbara Hollingsworth and the Chicago Daily Observer. An honest Fourth Estate is essential to fight corruption and remain a free people.
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