Obama's Wealthy Benefactors

It was reported in the Chicago Tribune that the U.S. District Judge, Amy St Eve revoked Rezko's bond on January 28th, 2008 because:

"Prosecutors alleged the $3.5 million wire transfer to Rezko came from Beirut through a company led by a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire who has controlled banks, casinos, telecommunications companies and pharmaceutical firms spanning the globe." (Tribune)

"Nadhmi Auchi, who heads General Mediterranean Holding SA, or GMH, bought about 15 Wisconsin pizzerias from Rezko, court records show, and took a stake in Rezko's most ambitious real estate venture--his effort to develop a 62-acre site at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street." (Tribune)

"In 2007, Auchi was listed by Forbes as #279 on the list of the world's billionaires, with a net worth of more than $3.1 billion:" (ibid)

More On Auchi

"Onetime go-between for major oil companies and state-owned oil fields in the Gulf settled in Britain in 1980 after fleeing the late Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Started a lawsuit in early 2007 against France's Elf, accusing its former directors of fraud and of entangling his name in their criminal acts. Daughter Luma one of 9 pharma execs facing charges of conspiracy to defraud Britain's National Health Service out of many millions of pounds by inflating the price of some of Britain's most commonly prescribed medicines." (ibid)

"Some of the $3.5 million went to pay off certain Rezko debts, while $20,000 went to the family of Alber Najjar, who also had extensive connections with Rezko's food companies but became a federal fugitive in 2004 when he fled to Lebanon following his indictment on bookmaking charges, prosecutors said." (Tribune)

Rezko repeatedly lied to the judge. He said he had NO access to money, but he did, i.e., the $3.5 million from Auchi. All of Rezko's associates were characters with known underworld connections and either being under indictment themselves or fugitives from the law. Obama who socialized with Rezko and took money from him, who went real estate shopping with him, wrote loan request letters for him and they generally helped each other out with favors bought and paid for, says he didn't know anything about Rezko's legal problems. Legal problems are what lawyers do know something about. The same Obama was contacted 17 years earlier when he was at Harvard, editor of the law journal, a prestigious position for sure - but one he was not the only nor first candidate; he was the 19th choice to be the editor. Rather than come to work for Rezko directly out of Harvard his fiduciary relationship was established when he went to work for the firm which represented Rezko with his rehab construction businesse with the city and state.

Rezko ripped off the taxpayers of millions of dollars. And he made big contributions to keep Obama elected state Senator and to finance his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

When Rezko was indicted Barack Obama started dumping "tainted" money by contributing large sums to charity. This was an effort to give the appearance he was riding himself of the money he received from Rezko and the associates of Rezko. He refuses to be interviewed about the Rezko connection. Investigative journalists have tried and to this day he will not be interviewed about his relationship with Rezko.

Rezko-Obama

And Democrats Crossing Over to Vote Republican

(quote)

The following excerpted from Pew survey:

One in five white Democratic voters said they would cross party lines to vote for McCain over Obama; that's twice as many as if Clinton were the nominee.

Meanwhile, 56 percent of voters think Obama's promises are too vague. Another 43 percent worry he isn't tough enough on foreign affairs.

The Pew survey also found Americans are increasingly optimistic about progress in Iraq and 47 percent now favor keeping U.S. troops there until the situation is stable. Pew found that was the highest percentage support in more than a year. Obama and Clinton are proposing withdrawing troops while McCain is not.

The survey of 1,508 adults was conducted Feb. 20-24.
Full Report (PDF)

(end quote)

Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times commented January 27, 2007: "Obama has never agreed to be interviewed by any reporter familiar with the details of the Rezko-Obama links."

"Rezko had long been a fundraiser for Obama. The Democratic presidential candidate and senator from Illinois has said he had no indication of problems with Rezko when he accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. When prosecutors unsealed their charges against Rezko in 2006, Obama gave $11,500 in Rezko contributions to charities." (ibid)

Since then he has given thousands of dollars more to charities. BUT there has never been a true accounting nor an explanation from Obama and he refuses to be interviewed as noted above by Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Rezko's slum housing in Obama's Senate district:

"On April 23, 2007, Tim Novak reported in the Chicago Sun-Times that Antoin "Tony" Rezko had thirty (30) slum buildings for which he received more than $100 million "from city and state agencies," eleven (11) of which were located geographically in then-Illinois State Senator (1996-2004) Barack Obama's "compact state senate district,"

"[O]n April 23, 2007, after a "speech on foreign policy to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Obama told print reporters that until recently, he was unaware Rezko was a slumlord," ABC News reported. (RezkoWatch.com)

Chicago's Andy Martin wrote April 30, 2007.

"In a large urban area such as Chicago state senate districts are not very large. They encompass several compact and contiguous neighborhoods. If you walked the district even occasionally you would know, you should know, almost every large building in the district."

If he did know, he is as culpable and as much a crook as Rezko, since he also benefited from Rezkos unjust enrichment but if he didn't know (which I don't believe for a minute), then he has very poor judgment, which incidentally is his accusation against Hillary as well as all the others who did who voted for the war authorization bill in congress - BECAUSE THEY WERE LIED TO by the Bush administration.

Obama did an interview for the New York Times wherein he said, if he had been a U.S. Senator when the others voted for the war authorization, perhaps he would have voted differently also - if he had received the same intelligence information Clinton, Edwards and other Senators received. BUT, you don't hear him saying it now. Now he is too busy with the Obama spin.

He spins everything. He says he didn't know about those slums in his district, the ones he helped Rezko obtain loans for and the ones Rezko did not repair while he pocketed the government loans he received to do the work.

"When asked about this, according to the Sun-Times, Obama, now serving as a U.S. Senator, "professed total ignorance about the slum tragedies literally on his own doorstep," Martin wrote. "How, could a state senator in a poor neighborhood not know about eleven (count 'em) slum buildings in his own district? ... Especially when the state senator's own law firm represented the slum landlord?" (RezkoWatch.com)

"Incredulous, Martin wrote: "Obama's law firm represented Rezko in his sleazy slum landlord dealings" and Obama, a "presidential candidate works in a law firm that represents a major slum landlord and he 'knows nothing about the client? The slum landlord client has slum buildings in the then-state senator's district and the presidential candidate has no idea?" (Martin)

"In the April 26, 2007, Chicago Sun-Times, Fran Spielman wrote Chicago Alderman Freddrenna Lyle (6th) said the "spigot of loans, grants and tax credits should have been cut off when the first of 30 taxpayer-supported Rezko buildings in Chicago fell into disrepair." However, the "gravy train [kept] rolling--to the tune of $100 million between 1989 and 1998. The lending to Rezko continued, even as the city repeatedly sued his company, Rezmar Corp., for such basics as no heat. (Tribune)

When Obama said he was unaware that Rezko was a slumlord, he was lying. And he aided and abetted his friend in obtaining more loans even while he was neglecting the housing he had and had no intention of doing otherwise. Obama could have stopped it - but he helped his friend. He is as guilty as Rezko. And that is what politicians do and Obama learned fast. He has been quoted as saying he learned politics in Chicago. He sure did! While the money flowed he was not going to admit he know the source or the degree of exploitation of the taxpayers by his long time friend and associate.

Drinking the Coolaid

Obama dumped (donating to charities) money which he received from at least SIX contributors who have also been indicted along with Rezko. He won't miss any of it now that he has millions of dollars coming into the campaign from Democrats who drank the coolaid.

One of those persons indicted for federal crimes is Ali D. Ata. Ata, like Obama helped Rezko obtain millions of dollars in government loans. Ata, while working in Governor Blagojevich administration wrote a letter on a state letterhead requesting the money.

Obama also received contributions from Rezko business partners, Joseph Aramada and Dr. Paul Ray, an investor in Rezko's fast-food business. Aramanda (individual "D") collected $250,000 from Rezko for helping him obtain money from the state teacher's pension fund and it was Aramanda's son who Obama appointed to be a Senate Intern at Rezko's request. This may be something the Senate Ethics Committee ought to be looking at?

Someone else caught up in this Rezko mess was Michael Winter. All of those mentioned here who have been indicted also GAVE MONEY to the Obama campaign at Rezko's request. Michael Winter collected a fee from an investment firm for Rezko in the teacher pension scheme, a deal yet to be fully unraveled when the indictments come to trail after March 5th, the day after the next primaries.

Some of the other persons named, who also contributed to Obama, were attorneys, Anthony Abboud and Jack Carriglio. They are not yet named in indictments and may not be. After-all, they're shrewd lawyers. There is also a co-defendant with Rezko, Stuart Levine. Several of these persons were appointed to the teacher pension board, which Rezko helped arrange and their votes would have been important "on matters of interest to Rezko" reported the Tribune.

Obviously few are talking about the indictments now and we'll have to wait until the hearings. We do know that Rezko played a significant part in the purchase of the Obama $1.6 million mansion in Kenwood - adjacent to the Rezko mansion. We do know also that most, if not all of them were part of a teacher's fund illegal scheme. We do know also that there was a little pay back with the appointment of Aramanda's son to be an intern. We do know also that Obama wrote a letter or letters as did Ata to obtain loans, perhaps fraudulently obtained since pervious projects were not completed and abandoned and Rezko and friends were unjustly enriched because of it.

Obama has a cult following. And Obama may be the Democratic Party's nominee for President? Democrats have really fallen into a "Rabbit Hole" with this one. Whether or not the Democratic Party can ever recover from this scam remains to be seen.

Ethical problems Perhaps?
Yes, and Federal Crimes

It Stinks Worst Than an Outhouse

Dead Elephants and Rotten Fish

Barack Obama was not named in the federal corruption case against his 17 year friend, Tony Rezko, as noted in the January 19th, 2008 Chicago Sun-Times: "..Obama is the unnamed `political candidate' referred to in a section of the document that accuses Rezko of orchestrating a scheme in which a firm hired to handle state teacher pension investments first had to pay $250,000 in "sham" finder's fees. From that money, $10,000 was donated to Obama's successful run for the Senate in the name of a Rezko business associate, according to the court filing and the source."

Did you know Rezko was on Obama's senatorial finance committee? He stands accused in that federal corruption case of "directing `at least one other individual' to donate money to Obama and then reimbursing that individual -- in possible violation of federal election law." (ibid)

Obviously other known Rezko associates also gave money to Obama but are not presently named; Rezko is not accused of "directing" them to do so in the indictment.

The Sun-Times article says, "That money was donated to Obama by Joseph Aramanda, a Glenview businessman and Rezko associate who, sources have said, is the `Individual D' prosecutors say received the $250,000 in finder's fees demanded by Rezko. Individual D did nothing to earn those fees, according to prosecutors."

Obama said he didn't know Aramanda but he hired Aramanda's son as an intern. "The $10,000 contribution to Obama was given in Aramanda's name on March 5, 2004, records show. While Obama's camp has said the senator did not know Aramanda or his son, at Rezko's urging Obama's office hired Aramanda's son as an intern.

Rezko -- Obama's patron, close friend

and chief fund raiser

"During his TWELVE years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman Tony Rezko and his associates than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found. (Chris Fusco and Tim Novak)

"Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s." (ibid)

Obama has always played down the money. The highest figure you ever hear him mention is from $50 to 60,000 dollars. But like all the other misstatements, it was much more than that. Some estimates are for over a million dollars changed hands and ended up in Obama's deep pockets. I think it might have been even more considering his connections with very wealthy Arabs funding sources - all of which has been written about in the Chicago newspapers and should be disclosed at the trial.

He has also denied he knew anything about any of Rezko's projects; he was only responsible for getting Rezko the city and state loans - most have not been repaid.

Obama said, "'Should I have known these buildings were in a state of disrepair? My answer would be that it wasn't brought to my attention,' the Chicago Sun-Times reported Obama said. 'As far as I can tell, we were never contacted by Rezko tenants.'" (Chicago Tribune)

Yes, he should have known; they were in his district. The districts were not that large and Rezko was not a stranger. Rezko was Obama's friend for 17 years and he was on Obama's campaign committee and friendly enough to throw parties for Obama. And Obama was close enough to intercede for Rezko and request million dollar loans so Rezko could buy more tenements which he walked away from taking the money with him, some of it going to Obama as campaign contributions, and leaving buildings in "disrepair" and the tenants without heat in the winter.

This federal case against Rezko's is not now going to trial until after March 5th. The date was moved up so Obama gets another free pass. Makes one wonder, doesn't it? And if not, then why not? This whole deal stinks worse than the streets of NY during a garbage strike.

The Obama association with Rezko will be a major problem for him; not so much in the primary because it has hardly been mentioned - only once by Hillary in the Democratic presidential debate on January 21, 2008, where she was booed for bringing it up, and it has been literally ignored by the press, Hillary was flayed and criticized by the press and Obama supporters. They accused her of "dirty" politics.

Only the Chicago newspapers have been seriously covering the story. This story has been perceived as irrelevant by the mainstream press.

Before that debate the only place you might see any mention of Obama's complications with Rezko was in the local Chicago newspapers. It was too hot for national newspapers to go with that story. After-all, everyone still remembers when a respected national TV network anchor brought up Bush's AWOL from the National Guard and everyone knows what happened to Dan Rather.

Clinton brought up the relationship but it did not go badly for Obama since most of the African-American population of South Carolina got behind Obama in the primary where practically ALL of them voted for him and the Black support for Obama has been about 90% national ever since.

As noted herein, Obama has never permitted anyone an interview about Rezko. The one time it was mentioned it was Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America who asked him about his relationship when Obama might as well have said, "Rezko who?"

Lynn Sweet wrote: "Obama made it seem like he hardly knew Rezko -- who was a friend, a client and a fund-raiser -- and was clueless about Rezko's potential criminal legal problems that had been reported by the Chicago press."

So, nobody in the media brings it up anymore. It is a taboo subject but it won't be in the general election. Obama, who has never faced any real opposition won't be able to skirt the issue then. Although McCain may want to keep it polite if his criticism of Bill Cunningham is any indication, but others on the right will not be so polite about it. It is a serious issue which will not be ignored. Right wing radio will have a field day with it.

Rezko's trial now doesn't begin until after the Ohio primary and it is likely we'll not know the details from any of it until well past the time when it might have an effect during the primary. There is however, still the convention and even a presumptive nominee can be replaced there.

Latest PEW polling indicates what I have been saying right along. Many traditional Democrats will jump ship; they'll vote for McCain. If it seems the surge has worked it will be to his benefit in the general election. If it got really bad it has always been possible that the election could be delayed or canceled and Bush could call for emergency martial law because as he says, "We are at war" when that excuse never worked before. But one should not be surprised at anything George W. Bush does. The end is far from being over or certain.

Legal accountability has all but been eliminated. The Patriot Act has stripped us of basic rights. We are in a bad way even if many Americans are not thinking about it because they have not yet been affected personally, so as to notice, even as our legal remedies and basic rights have been stripped. We're in a bad way and in unchartered territory with this administration and Obama said, repeating the words of the Democratic Speaker of the House that "impeachment is off the table." Not willing to indict which is an inquiry, not a trial - and why not? For fear Democrats may lose the 2008 elections if they impeach bush? What a silly excuse for violating the very foundation of our democracy - for violating the principles of the constitution. This is what Obama represents. He supports lawlessness when he does opposes natural redress as stipulated in the U.S. Constitution for violation of said constitution.

He claims to have lectured constitutional law, in which case he should know the constitution requires protection and the only way to do that is to challenge those who violate it. Our remedy is impeachment.

"'This (Rezko) is somebody who was active in politics in Illinois, who I knew. Nobody had any indications that he was engaging in wrongdoing. At the point where he was engaging in alleged wrongdoing, it had nothing to do with me, and nobody has made that allegation. And Senator Clinton knows that,' Obama said," - wrote Lynn Sweet.

This is not high school

Don't lie to us Obama.

NO Oversight of
affordable housing

In the Chicago Times-Tribune it was reported (Saturday, January 26, 2008) "[T]here was a total lack of oversight by state Senator Barack Obama for tenements, some of which he had secured loans for his friend, Rezko, many of which were in his Senate district."

How could that be?

John Bartlett, executive director of Metropolitan Tenants Organization in Chicago, wrote the following on June 30, 2007, for the Marguerite Casey Foundation:

"Shameful" is how Faye Porter, a tenant living in Lake Park Manor, described the growing scandal around Tony Rezko, a Chicago affordable housing developer. The shameful part is that "if Mr. Rezko hadn't been indicted, the condition of our building and others like it would never see the light of day." The fact is, the state of affordable housing in the United States is a much deeper problem than the indictment of Tony Rezko."

"We could never get any repairs done in our building," Porter said. "We were living in horrific conditions." Her building on Chicago's South Side was a slum. Rodents and squatters occupied the halls. The plumbing always leaked. Gangs controlled access to the building. It was falling apart. No one seemed to care. The needs of the families living there did not appear to matter. Apparently, all that mattered to Rezko and his partners were the taxpayer-supported fees. Once they made their money, they abandoned the building and people like Porter who depended on this housing. The needs of the families living there did not appear to matter. Apparently, all that mattered to Rezko and his partners were the taxpayer-supported fees. Once they made their money, they abandoned the building and people like Porter who depended on this housing. Unfortunately, Porter's experience is representative of thousands of other families living in subsidized units in Chicago. They are relegated to living in second-class housing because of slum owners and a lack of oversight and regulation."

How could Obama not know?
The simple answer is,
OF COURSE HE KNEW!

Hank Roth
bio

** For more details and facts about Rezko and proof Obama knew what was going on and pay back was part of the game, see http://inyourface.info/crypt/

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