Say Anything Blog

It’s a bluff, but I think it illustrates perfectly how the Obama teams’ hands are hardly clean in the Blago scandal.

An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff.

Ed Genson wants the committee to subpoena Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), longtime Obama friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie.

Currie, the head of the committee, said she did not yet know what the committee’s response to Genson’s request would be. Its next meeting is scheduled for Monday, she added.

Currie noted that the U.S. attorney’s office has already denied the panel’s request to interview a list of people named in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said earlier this week that lawmakers’ interviews of current or former members of Blagojevich’s staff might jeopardize his criminal investigation.

Blago knows full well that the legislature isn’t going to subpoena Emanuel.  For one thing, the Illinois legislature is full of Democrats who aren’t likely to want to suck their golden boy Obama further into this mess.  For another, Fitzgerald has already told the legislature to avoid meddling in his investigation and he’s not likely to take kindly to any subpoenas being issued.  Plus, the legislature doesn’t exactly need to subpoena anyone for an impeachment.  The Illinois state constitution doesn’t lay out any grounds for impeachment, making the process purely a political one.

But that does open the door for Blago claiming that, without evidence, the legislature is simply railroading him. But then, given how much damage has been done to Blago’s credibility, those complaints are likely to fall on deaf ears.

Ultimately I don’t think anyone on the left wants Rahm Emanuel testifying anywhere under oath.  Because his testimony would prove that Obama knew full well Blago was trying to sell that seat and at best he did nothing to report that crime.  And at worst he was actively playing ball.

On a related note, is it just me or does Rahm Emanuel look a little bit like Count Chocula?

Get that man a cape and some sideburns and he could be selling breakfast cereal.