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Obama-Barack (1676) Corruption (1655) Barack Obama (910) Chicago (285) Party Politics Democratic (255) Party Machine Democratic (158) Party Platforms DNC (119) Obama Hillary New Hampshire (103) Rezko (31) Blagojevich (13) Washington (8)
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Now Obama claims he never even knew the lot was in Rita's name. During his March 14, 2008 interview, the Tribune asked him: “When Tony sold the garden lot in his wife's name, didn't that strike you as odd?” “You know,” he said, “I have no idea why he did it. I don't think he was intending to hide something, because if he was then, you know, using your wife's name, Rita Rezko, probably wouldn't have been the best way to do it.” The report in the London Times asked Rita whether she used money from her husband to buy the lot and she stated: "I can't answer these questions, I'm sorry." It also asked how long she and her husband had known Auchi, and she said: "I will not be able to answer this question." Combine warns co-schemers not to cooperate with Feds On his last day on the stand, Ata told the jury he finally agreed to cooperate with the Feds in April 2008, after an unnamed person delivered a threat and prosecutors once had him wear a wire to make a recording of the person who threatened him. The prosecution’s filings say Ata lied to the FBI in 2005 when he "intentionally concealed that he paid Rezko approximately $125,000 in cash ... during 2003 and 2004 so that he could obtain a state appointment and then ensure its continuation." Ata testified he gave Rezko the money because he wanted to keep his job at the Finance Authority. He said he delivered $25,000 to Rezko in early 2004, because Rezko said it was needed to pay contractors to stop them from filing a lien on Blagojevich’s home. He also testified that he and Rezko once delivered $50,000 in cash to the home of Christopher Kelly and left it in the car while they went inside. Ata said Rezko told him, “there's somebody from Downstate that's coming to pick up the money." A source told the Sun-Times the money went toward paying Kelly's gambling debts. Ata also explained that in exchange for a 25% ownership of a real estate partnership, Rezko made a problem with a state lease disappear. After Rezko became a silent partner, he said, the problem went away. When Rezko’s attorney pressed for details about how that worked, Ata said he learned Rezko had gone to Michael Rumman to get the matter resolved, who Blagojevich appointed to lead the Department of Central Management Services. Assistant US Attorney Hamilton asked Ata whether he ever sought to be repaid and he said he was an investor in Rezko projects and "I figured at some point in time we'd settle." Ata told the jury he used to drop by Rezko’s office after he was appointed and would see other top officials waiting to meet with Rezko. In order to keep their jobs, he said, people appointed had to follow orders and become a team player. For instance, Ata said, he often saw Kelly King Dibble at Rezko’s office, a former Rezmar employee, who became director of the Illinois Housing Authority. But when Dibble balked at hiring a Rezko relative, Ata said, Rezko passed a message to Dibble "congratulating her on her new assignment," and the new assignment was unemployment.
Evelyn Pringle is a columnist for OpEd News and investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in government and corporate America.
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