Hey Chicago Tribune: What’s on the secret Blagojevich tapes?
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
A reliable source informs IP2P that Tribune Company spokesman Gary Weitman has stated, for-the-record, that the decision to publish or not publish the Blagojevich wiretap transcripts – given to the Chicago Tribune, and only to the Tribune, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and never made public – is a decision that rests in the hands of Tribune editor Gerould Kern.
Weitman knows that the tapes and transcripts were under court seal, and have not been made available to the public. Upon further inquiry, Weitman repeated that the decision to publish, or not publish, is one that would have to be taken-up with Gerould Kern.
To date, Kern has refused to respond to multiple request seeking an explanation for his decision not to publish the Blago tapes.
We call on Gerould Kern to rethink his decision, and publish the transcripts. And, if Kern does not reconsider, and continues to keep secrets, rather than act as a responsible newspaper editor, then we call on the Tribune Co. to replace him with someone who understands the importance of an honest "Fourth Estate".
What is on the Blago tapes that the Feds and Trib editor Gerould Kern do not want the public to know?
Next
What the Blago camp is saying....
Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky says Blago free to talk
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
A proven, reliable source informs IP2P that Sheldon Sorosky, Rod Blagojevich’s attorney, has confirmed what we’ve long suspected: Blago’s silence has been bought. The payoff is ahead.
Here’s how it stacks up.
Rod Blagojevich is free to talk publicly about any, and all, of the phone conversations recorded by federal agents. And, there’s no protective judicial order restricting him from doing so.
When asked why his client would pretend he’s prohibited from talking about the conversations, Sheldon had no clear explanation.
Sheldon was then asked: If the contents of the tapes prove Blago is innocent, why has Blago remained silent? Sheldon has no clear explanation.
When asked if Rod Blagojevich's pending appeal would be based on the claim that the defense could not play the tapes, Sheldon said that the appeal would focus on specific tapes.
Oh, okay.
Then, Sheldon was asked – why, if those specific conversations would prove Blago innocent, hasn’t Blago identified those with whom he had those conversation, and what those conversations were about, Sheldon acknowledged that nothing restricts Blago from revealing that information.
Oh, okay, nothing stops Blago from talking. We get that.
Asked why Blago hadn’t revealed what’s on the tapes, Sheldon had no clear explanation. (You see a pattern here?)
Here’s what we at IP2P suggest: Sheldon should just put Blago's recollection of those conversations in his appellate brief due May 30, 2013.
Absolutely nothing prevents him from doing that.
Nothing, that is, unless there’s a deal in place that assures that the public never knows what’s on those tapes, in exchange for a significant reduction in Blago’s jail time.
In short, we believe Blago's silence has been bought.
It is the Chicago Way. Right?
The underlying question is this: Besides getting himself an early Out-of-Jail Card, who is being protected by Blago’s silence?
Developing…..
Chicago Review Press: Do they ignore the facts?
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
Since the release of the book "Golden," by authors and Chicago Tribune reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen, serious questions have been raised about the honesty of the book's claims.
IP2P has received information from several sources that lead us to conclude this: Someone is not telling the truth about the claims made in the Chicago Review Press publication.
These public assertions lead us to that conclusion:
(1) The man who warned Rod Blagojevich that the feds were recording him, Tribune reporter John Chase, was a co-author of the book.
(2) Chase and Coen claim, in their book, to have listened to, and read, the transcripts of all the Blagojevich wiretaps...that have never been made public.
(3) The U.S. Attorney's Office insists the wiretap tapes and transcripts were provided to no one - including Chase and Coen. Even though Chase and Coen insist that the USAO did provide the material.
(4) Prior to Chicago Review Press publishing "Golden," a credible source made attempts to provide important information to the publisher that would have helped insure that their book was factual.
U.S. Attorney's Office claims author's of Blagojevich book "Golden" lying
(5) To date, Cynthia Sherry and the Chicago Review Press have refused to answer basic questions that a publisher should expect from the media: (A) Did Chicago Review Press fact-check the book they published as non-fiction? (B) Did the authors actually have access to the tapes and transcripts of the Blagojevich wiretaps that were not made public?
From: (Redacted)
To: csherry
Sent: 2013-02-01 21:00:02 +0000
Subject: Fwd: Publishing False Information
Ms. Cynthia Sherry
Did The Chicago Review Press verify that John Chase and Jeff Coen actually possessed and listened to all the Blagojevich wiretap tape recordings and read transcripts that were never made public, per their claim in the book you published titled "Golden" ?
If you did verify, please explain how.
(Name redacted)
-----Original Message-----
From: (Redacted)
To: csherry
Sent: 2012-12-08 23:15:43 +0000
Subject: Publishing False Information
Ms. Cynthia Sherry
The U.S. Attorney's Office Northern Dist. of Illinois has just gone on the record saying that John Chase and Jeff Coen are not telling the truth about having access to tapes a transcripts of the Blagojevich wiretaps that were never made public.
Ms. Sherry, as publisher of Chase and Coen's book "Golden" you can clearly understand the ramifications if this is true.
Did Chase and Coen publish false information? The USAO says yes.
Ms. Sherry, what do you say?
(Name redacted)
All of this begs the question: Was Chicago Review Press so concerned with telling the authors' version of the Blagojevich story that they ignored the facts?
Listen to Cynthia Sherry explain Chicago Review Press promotion of progressive writings and social justice.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/299785-1
At IP2P we ask this: Did the truth about the Blagojevich case not work for their progressive agenda?
More on this soon............
Robert Blagojevich dodged going to prison
Hugo Floriani, Investigative Reporter
Jesse Jackson Jr. was not the only one saved when John Chase called the Blagojevich camp and warned them that the feds were listening.
Remember, it was Robert Blagojevich that would have been caught on surveillance tapes, meeting with Jackson's money man, Raguveer Nayak. Chase not only saved Jesse Jackson, Jr. from prison, he also saved Robert Blagojevich.
Hold that thought. We'll come back to it later.
November 21, 2012: Within hours of Jesse Jr's resignation from Congress, Robert Blagojevich expressed his disappointment. He felt he likely would never be able to clear his own name.
Why is that? you ask.
Well, R. Blagojevich assumed there'd be no ethics committee investigation of Jesse Jackson Jr's attempt to buy the U.S. Senate seat his brother, then Governor Rod Blagojevich, was selling.
Robert was right. The DC pols didn't want to investigate that attempted transaction.
However, there's nothing to stop Robert Blagojevich from making his case to the public.
That is, if Robert truly believes his name could be cleared.
Robert Blagojevich has all the FBI wiretap tapes that brother Rod and his attorneys have.
Robert has listened to all the government's wiretaps, and, as of today, he hasn't expressed any disagreement with Chase and Coen's assertion that the contents of the tapes show his brother is guilty.
Furthermore, Robert, Rod, and their respective attorneys have remained silent, while Chicago Tribune reporters Chase and Coen assert that the Blagojevich defense was built on a house of lies.
Remember, the entire Blagojevich entourage was screaming that "the tapes would set them free," if only everyone could hear them.
In their book "Golden," Chase and Coen claim they listened to all the wiretap tapes, and that there is nothing there that suggest Rod or Robert are innocent of attempting to sell a U.S. Senate seat.
So, in a nutshell:
In the past.
The Blagojevich brothers and their attorney's repeatedly professed that proof of their innocence is captured on the government's tapes. And that, if the public were allowed to hear the tapes, the brothers would be found innocent.
Present day.
(1) John Chase and Jeff Coen claim that the Blago's and their attorney's were lying.
(2) The Blago brothers and their attorneys are not disputing Chase and Coen's claims.
Conclusion:
The Blago's and their attorney's lied about what's on the tapes.
So, what will the Brothers and their attorney's want you to believe next? (coming soon)
Questions:
(1) What was captured on roughly 400 hours of recorded Blago wiretap conversations?
(2) Why can't we hear them?
(3) Why are the Blagojevich's and the U.S. Attorney's Office hiding behind a phony protective order?
Developing story......
Hey Chicago Tribune, what kinda Journalism is that?
Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief
The traditional rules of journalism apparently don't apply to the Chicago Tribune. Now it's the rules of "Forward Journalism" that they follow.
For example:
Basic rule #1 - When you get the inside scoop on a wiretap the government's running on a sitting governor, you don't make a decision at 10:20 p.m. to derail the government's investigation, while, at the same time, flushing the biggest news story of the year down the drain with a John Chase phone call warning Gov. Blagojevich that the feds are listening.
Unless you "report" for the Chicago Tribune.
Basic rule # 2 - When you write the self-described definitive book about the Rod Blagojevich affair, as reporters John Chase and Jeff Coen claim to have, and the U.S. Attorney's office publicly takes issue with the honesty of your claims, you back up your story with evidence that supports your words.
Unless you work for the Chicago Tribune
Basic rule #3 - When the honesty of reporters is challenged by the U.S. government, the Editor stands by his or her reporters, or excepts responsibility for their mistakes and makes the appropriate changes to protect the integrity of the newspaper.
Unless you're an Editor at the Chicago Tribune.
Ever since the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Illinois went on the record disputing claims made by Chase and Coen, the two Tribune reporters have been mute, refusing to comment.
Not only are they not responding to troubling accusations from the USAO, Tribune editor Gerould Kern, and the publisher of "Golden," the Chicago Review Press, are, also, hunkered down refusing to comment.
So is that the new style of "Forward Journalism"?
We, at IP2P, subscribe to the American traditional rules of journalism. We call for honest answers from the Tribune, on behalf of the citizens of Chicago, and Illinois.
They deserve the truth