SPRINGFIELD, Illinois: Federal subpoenas of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration include requests for records involving senior advisers to President Barack Obama.
Among 43 subpoenas released by the Blagojevich administration Friday, one on Dec. 8 seeks any data relating to Obama advisers David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and 32 other people and organizations.
That was the day before the FBI arrested Blagojevich on charges that he tried to auction off Obama's Senate seat for campaign cash or a job. Wiretapped conversations show Blagojevich thought Jarrett was interested in the seat.
Obama's staff released a report in December clearing his advisers of wrongdoing in communicating with the two-term Democrat about the seat. But Axelrod, a Chicago political strategist now in the White House, was not mentioned.
Huh?
Did Obama want Jarrett in the Senate or not? First Axelrod said Obama spoke to Blago, before this all blew up, then he said no, he misspoke and Obama always wanted Valerie in the White House. We still don't know the answer to this and it keeps coming up again and again.
And that Obama report also didn't mention at least one key contact Rahm had with Blago's team, which surfaced today in a Sun Times report.
UPDATE: Tribune with news on the subpeonas, including more names:
Others listed on the subpoena are people linked to the 76-page criminal complaint against Blagojevich, which does not identify anyone by name except the governor and his former chief of staff, John Harris, arrested the same day.
They include first lady Patricia Blagojevich and her former employer, River Realty; former Blagojevich aides Lon Monk, John Wyma, Christopher Kelly and Doug Scofield; his brother and campaign manager Robert Blagojevich; Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell; and Tom Balanoff, Illinois director of the Service Employees International Union. [snip]
Since February 2007, 22 federal subpoenas have arrived at the governor's office.
They include requests to four state agencies for contract information involving Ali Ata. Ata is the one-time Illinois Finance Authority director who testified last spring in federal court that Blagojevich was present when he turned over a $25,000 check to Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, then asked Rezko if he had discussed a state job with Ata.
Rezko was convicted in the case of 16 counts of fraud, aiding bribery and money laundering in trying to get Blagojevich campaign contributions from companies seeking state business.
And it's official, Blago will be on The View and also GMA Monday. (He's bringing Patti along to talk to the harpies.)
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