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.

EX Met , GMP Police Chief Michael Todd found dead near beauty spot after long solitary countryside walk

Michael Todd had been leading a probe into claims that CIA 'extraordinary rendition' flights had been landing in the UK, on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

"On 19 December Liberty held a meeting with Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Michael Todd. Chief Constable Todd has confirmed that he will look into “extraordinary rendition” flights on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). According to Chief Constable Todd, the police have begun initial inquiries and will follow Liberty’s recommendations for further questioning." UN Convention in Torture UNCAT Vol 2 160/6 Page 166. House of Lords report 26thMay 2006

UPDATE Wednesday 12th March 8.00 am GMTBBC4 Radio "Today" program report rumours that a "Sunday newspaper" was preparing a story about him. Stories curculate of family problems and much mention of written notes / letters to family members where he was found dead.

Ipswich prostitute captured on CCTV - were the 7/7 bombers ???

Maire Alderton , mother of 24 year old Anneli Alderton, told Ipswich Crown Court today how her daughter turned to prostitution to fund her drug habit. She had been in prison four times and had received rehabilitation treatment for drugs.

The police did a remarkably good job of ensuring a CCTV from a train journey Anneli took on the 1753 GMT train from Harwich to Colchester on 3 December, received wide, local, national and international publicity less than 7 days after she was murdered.

How odd that those 4 bombers who travelled from Luton to London on 7/7/2005 , seen by many, many CCTV cameras in car parks, stations, concourse, 3 underground trains and a bus - have never been publicised in the same way.

"Police are scrutinising 80,000 pieces of footage from security cameras to discover how the three young Muslims spent almost four hours in the capital." Times Sept 21st 2005.

All this effort and evidence hasn't resulted in producing a single moving image capturing any of the four (or any other people involved in the bombing). We do of course have a picture said to be of them taken on a "dry run" 9 days before... so it is interesting that Rachel from London , having met John Reid the (then) Home Secretary ( along with others) received a 4 page letter that answered some questions they had raised with him ...eg on CCTV footage

"The Metropolitan Police have told us that the primary reason for this is that the footage forms part of the police evidence. Their practice is to limit the
release of footage to that which is pertinent to progressing their investigation. In deciding what to release, the police need to take into account that any footage could potentially [ underlined] prejudice any prosecutions that result from the on-going police investigation.''

Evidently after 2 1/2 years later , and the alleged perpetrators dead, there is no potential prosecution which could impede the production of such evidence.... and who knows, it may , as in the case of the Anneli Alderton help focus the memory of some members of the public, jogging memories...

Ipswich had 5 drug addicted prostitutes killed ... London still mourns 56 dead and many hundreds more are injured directly or by the loss of children, friends and family.

If the Police can produce such evidence for safety of people in Ipswich , the population of London deserves to see more about what exactly happened that fateful July day which would help to prevent further such tragic events....unless of course the reason is, that no such CCTV film exists amongst ,"the 80,000 pieces of footage from security cameras" on that day.