Rod Blagojevich AKA soon to be Rod "canary" Blagojevich arrested, charged and in custody

At Tony Rezko's corruption trial star witness Chicago businessman Stuart Levine recalled "I was very interested in cultivating a relationship with Mr. Rezko," Levine said. "I felt that Mr. Rezko and I could make a lot of money together."

He went on to tell the court Rezko cautioned him, that any talk of business would need to be in person. "Any discussions with me about any illegal activity we were involved with should not be held on the phone," Levine said.

So evidently not everyone in the circle of two-term Democratic governor Rod Blagojevich followed this golden rule.

Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were charged today with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. Both were taken into custody at their homes in Chicago.

The 76-page FBI affidavit details wiretaps on the Governor who has been under scrutiny by the Feds since 2005.

On November 5, 2008, Rod Blagojevich talked with Advisor A about the Senate seat. During the phone call, he stated that the President-elect can remove somebody from a foundation and give the spot to Rod Blagjevich. In regards to the Senate seat, he said “I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”

In a secretly recorded conversation on October 31, Mr Blagojevich claimed he was offered a deal by an associate of an unnamed "Senate Candidate 5".

"We were approached 'pay to play'. That, you know, he'd raise 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him [Senate Candidate 5] a Senator," the governor allegedly said.

The massive and detailed FBI affidavit says David Blagojevich pondered getting a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself in return for the Senate seat – a position that only the incoming Obama Administration would be able to give.

All the juicy bits are detailed here

Last weekend, prior to his arrest, Mr Blagojevich was quoted as saying people should “feel free” to bug his phone lines as everything he said was lawful.

Mr Blagojevich’s chief fundraiser, friend, and confidant Christopher G Kelly, is due to stand trial early next year on charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service.

Mr Blagojevich took the chief executive’s office in 2003 as a reformer and anti-corruption candidate. His predecessor, Governor George Ryan, was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges.

At the Rezko trial, Levine said he and Rezko started to meet more frequently. When Levine and Rezko talked about the governor, Rezko told him he had high aspirations for Blagojevich.

"He had raised a great deal of money for Gov. Blagojevich," Levine said. "He had great hopes and expectations that Gov. Blagojevich would run for president."

probably the most tantalising wiretap is ... "Later in the conversation,Rod Blagojevich said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the Senate seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. *** them.”

Candidate 1 it appears is Valerie Jarett currently co-chairman of the transition team. She was Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard Daley, during which time (1991) she hired Michelle Robinson, then engaged to a young lawyer, Barack Obama (also a big pal of Tony Rezko) , away from the Sidley Austin law firm.

This show will run and run ...

PS : There is no question that "Candidate 5" is a black male, Jesse Jackson Jr. whose brother Yusuf , was helped to get the hugely lucrative Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship covering Chicago’s North and Northwest Sides , and is also the son of Jesse Jackson .

To suggest that it is would be a vile slur, without any foundation and totally without foundation or indeed any foundation whatsoever.

Probably someone completely different.