I’m heart-broken over this.
First David Axelrod says on November 23: “I know he’s (Obama) talked to the governor, and there are a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”
Then after Blago’s arrest, and Obama’s statement: “I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of what was happening” concerning any possible dealing about Blagojevich’s appointment of a successor, Axelrod says: “I was mistaken. … They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.”
And Obama refused to answer any questions about Emanuel’s dealings with the IL Governor about the Senate seat: “Let me stop you there because it’s an ongoing investigation. I think it would be inappropriate for me to, you know, remark on the situation beyond the facts that I know. And that’s the fact that I didn’t discuss this issue with the governor at all,” he said.
Well, it turns out that Emanuel did have multiple conversations with Blagojevich about the Senate seat, and those conversations were probably surveilled by the FBI.
Ed Morrissey writes at Hot Air:
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Emanuel knew about Blagojevich’s efforts to extort payment for the selection, but it puts a damper on the idea that Emanuel tipped off the feds, too. It wouldn’t take “multiple” meetings for Emanuel to decide to squeal. If Emanuel continued meeting with Blagojevich, that indicates some kind of negotiating was happening, and that would strongly suggest that Emanuel was working on Blagojevich’s terms.
How awkward. No wonder he was a bit tense with reporters, yesterday.
And Obama’s statement to reporters: “I was not aware of what was happening” concerning any possible dealing about Blagojevich’s appointment of a successor – strains credulity, does it not?