While most of the media's attention focused today on the Chicago news conference of President-elect Barack Obama announcing new Cabinet members and repeating his call for onetime ally Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign , a federal judge made a small, little-noticed legal move on another case.
Without explanation, District Judge Amy St. Eve canceled her own deadlines for lawyers to file briefs on the upcoming sentencing of Antoin "Tony" Rezko (pictured).
He's the Illinois political fixer, real estate man and fundraiser with close connections to Obama, Blagojevich and other Chicago political clans who is unhappy in solitary and sought to advance his sentencing to Jan. 6 on 16 federal counts of fraud, money laundering and abetting bribery.
Why would a judge extend the period before sentencing when the convicted prisoner expressed a desire to get on with prison? Without a new briefs deadline, the expedited Jan. 6 sentencing could now be pushed back further.
Because Rezko, in the hopes of reducing his sentence, is singing in his cell about Blagojevich and maybe others. He's not done with his song repertoire and the feds haven't fully checked out his information to determine how grateful to be in sentence-seeking.
Rezko was known as the money man or cashier to see about state jobs through the governor's office. He's known Obama since the early '90s, tried to hire him, did hire the law firm Obama worked for, became partners with the owner of that firm, advised Obama on buying his Hyde Park home and sold him a slice of the adjacent lot.
Two interesting questions persist.
1. How many other members of the corrupt Chicago Democrat machine will tell all they know and name names when U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald puts pressure on them?
2. How long after Barack Obama is sworn in as president will U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald lose his job and can Obama fire Fitz before he has a chance expose the Obama connection to the corrupt politics in Chicago. Patrick Fitzgerald will need to work fast.
A picture of my cave
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