Obama fundraiser, convicted of fraud, spills beans
By CrimeWatch Sunday, October 12, 2008
CHICAGO - Jailed political fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer who helped launch Barack Obama on his political career, is whispering secrets to federal prosecutors about corruption in Illinois and the political fallout could be explosive.
Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration faces multiple federal investigations over how it handed out jobs and money with advice from Rezko, is considered the most vulnerable.
Rezko also was friendly with Obama — offering him a job when he finished law school, funding his earliest political campaigns and purchasing a lot next to his house. But based on the known facts, charges so far and testimony at Rezko’s trial, there’s no indication there’ll be a so-called “October surprise” that could hurt the Democratic presidential nominee — even though Rezko says prosecutors are pressing him for dirt about Obama.