Obama (Interview): "I trusted Rezko" - says friend raised more money than previously known

[kpete]

Obama: I trusted Rezko
Senator says friend raised more money than previously known

Indicted Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a more significant fundraiser for presidential candidate Barack Obama's earlier political campaigns than previously known. Rezko raised as much as $250,000 for the first three offices Obama sought, the senator told the Tribune on Friday.

Obama also said for the first time that his private real estate transactions with Rezko involved repeated lapses of judgment. The mistake, Obama said, was not simply that Rezko was under grand jury investigation at the time of their 2005 and 2006 dealings. "The mistake was he had been a contributor and somebody involved in politics," he said.

...............

Obama said that when he questioned Rezko about news reports of his questionable political dealings, his friend assured him there was nothing wrong. "My instinct was to believe him," he said.

............

Asked if he ever thought Rezko would expect something from their relationship, Obama was definitive. "No, precisely because I'd known him for (many) years and he hadn't asked me for favors."

more at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama-rezkomar15,0,2968927.story

[GarbagemanLB]

1. I wonder how many people have died from this lapse of judgement.

[indimuse]

2. Obama has made "Judgement" as part of his camapign.

Comparing his judgement to Hillary's judgement etc...

[GarbagemanLB]

4. and Hillary has made 'experience' part of hers. All that foreign affairs experience...

:rofl:

[Benhurst]

5. An interesting question,

especially since Rezko was being sued for not having provided heat in the dead of winter to his tenants at the time Obama asked him to go with him to look over the house he was planning to buy.

I never have figured out why Obama consulted with a slum landlord over the purchase of a house worth way over one million Dollars.

:shrug:

I'm glad to no longer have a dog in this fight.

Since neither Clinton nor Obama will be able to reach the magic number of 2024½, 2025 or whatever it will be by the time of the convention and both have had more Democrats vote against them than for them, perhaps "the will of the people" has been expressed: neither of the above.

[Adelante]

6. If I knew a real estate developer who'd lived across the street

from a house I was planning to buy, I might see myself asking that person to look over the property with me. It's not out of the realm of possibility.

[Benhurst]

9. Are you an elected official?

Do you think he would buy adjoining property to your new house and sell off part of it to you to make your new house more desirable, while taking a loss on the remaining property by making it too small for construction?

[Adelante]

11. Obama paid one sixth of the purchase price of the lot for one sixth of the lot

There was nothing illegal or unethical in doing that. The sale price of the house was not lowered due to the purchase of the original lot, according to the sellers. The Rezkos lost $50,000 on the lot sale, which they sold for $575,000 a year after selling the one sixth, and a year and a half after the lot purchase, but that sale has not been connected in any way to Obama. You are assuming the reason Rezko bought the lot was to make Obama's house more desirable, but there is no evidence that was the case. Rezko was a real estate investor; it's what he did for a living. It's no surprise to me he would buy an empty lot and no surprise that, once he was indicted, he might sell that lot at a relatively modest loss, because he needed cash.

[dkf]

7. I really doubt anyone aspires to be a slum landlord. Sounds to me like the guy was a screwup

more than malicious. And then things got out of control and he started getting stupid.

[Benhurst]

10. I'm sure his motives were pure as snow.

Chicago politicians are known for the company they keep.

[Adelante]

3. Raised $250,000 over ten years time

That's not a lot for a bundler. I would have expected a larger total for all the hoopla.

[Texas Hill Country]

8. wow... nice way to have it all hit ya at once Barak...

think you could have spaced out the controveries a bit?

[1776Forever]

12. If the media is so hard on Hillary why aren't we hearing about these issues & trials of HRC?

Why isn't the media talking about the trial coming up in Oct. '08 for Peter Paul who says he gave the Clinton's $2 million that they didn't report?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw

Why isn't the sale of HRC's campaign mailing list being questioned more to a huge Indian-American supporter named Gupta who had flown Hillary and Bill on private trips and given Bill a 3 million bonus for consulting and Gupta's investors filed a court case because of this?

http://richmonddemocrat.blogspot.com/2008/02/hillary-clinton-sold-her-donor-list.html

And why isn't Clinton releasing her earmarks and tax records?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/15/clinton-wont-release-ear_n_91681.html

.......

Because of this and a lot more I cannot support HRC.