“Thomas R. Bennett, who has been following the retrial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for the Nuclear Chicago blog, accuses U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of “sandbagging” and “running egregious political interference to both benefit and protect Team Obama” for not calling fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko to the stand as a government witness:

“Simply put – Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko is the only witness that can bury Blagojevich and the Chicago Political Thuggery Machine. Why is Fitzgerald holding back Rezko? What has been promised or implied to Fitzgerald as a ‘reward’ for Fitzgerald’s blatant sandbagging efforts?”

Bennett launched this latest incendiary after federal marshals apparently detained him and escorted him out of Chicago’s federal court building after he wrote: “There is still a gigantic elephant in the room.  Specifically, we still do not have an answer related to who leaked classified Department of Justice (DOJ) information regarding the confidential Blagojevich wiretaps?” He included a link to an earlier Beltway Confidential post asking the same question.

Bennett raises a good point about the convicted-but-still-not-sentenced  Rezko, whose whereabouts after he was transferred from Chicago’s downtown Metropolitan Correctional Center last year remain murky.

In his retrial of the former Illinois governor for allegedly trying to sell President Obama’s old Senate seat and seeking campaign contributions in exchange for political favors , Fitzgerald inexplicably dropped all the charges against Blagojevich that involved Rezko. This despite the fact that federal prosecutors  previously described Rezko as “”the man behind the curtain, pulling the strings” in the Blagojevich administration.

If Rezko was pulling Blago’s strings, why isn’t he testifying at his trial?”

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/05/wheres-tony-rezko#ixzz1NauAHwxa

I have spent countless hours researching and writing about the Chicago corruption world of Tony Rezko, Rod Blagojevich and Barack Obama. My conclusion that Obama was being protected was an obvious one. My consistent statements that Tony Rezko must be called as a witness are substantiated by conclusions of a number of legal experts.

From Citizen Wells April 19, 2011.

“Here are the approximate number of times that “Rezko” is mentioned in US Justice Department documents.

Indictment:  100 times.

Criminal complaint:  170 times.

Evidentiary Proffer:  288 times.
Even if a strong argument is made against using Rezko as a witness, and good luck with that argument, Stuart Levine was used extensively as a witness in the Rezko trial, and his name was mentioned approx. 146 times in the Blagojevich Criminal Complaint. And don’t forget, Blagojevich’s name was mentioned at least 30 times on one day of the Rezko trial.”

“An expert on law has commented on Rezko and Levine being called as witnesses. Leonard Cavise is a DePaul University law professor.”

“But Leonard Cavise, a DePaul University professor, suggested the government will need to do more at the retrial, possibly leading to a longer presentation of evidence. He said he believes the government may try to avoid another deadlocked jury by using fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko and political fixer Stuart Levine as witnesses.
Both men have agreed to cooperate, but prosecutors chose not to call them this summer in part because of the baggage both bring.
“If the prosecution insists on going forward, I have two words for them: Rezko and Levine,” Cavise said. “They know where all the bodies are buried.””

Read more:

http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/blagojevich-retrial-rezko-and-obama-judge-james-zagel-cautions-blagojevich-justice-dept-corruption/