AP Exclusive: Calendar shows key Ill. gov meetings
By JOHN O'CONNOR
Associated Press
January 7, 2009
Page 2 of 2
Federal prosecutors claim in a 76-page criminal complaint that Blagojevich and his former chief of staff were caught on wiretapped recordings plotting to trade Obama's vacant Senate seat for campaign contributions or a high-paying job for him or his wife.
Authorities say Blagojevich was trying to raise as much as $2.5 million for his campaign fund before a stricter campaign finance law took effect Jan. 1.
Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero confirmed some of the meetings but said he did not know whether others on the calendar took place.
Most of the meetings on the calendar were at the second-term governor's office in Chicago. Federal prosecutors have said they wiretapped Blagojevich's campaign office and home phone, but there's no indication there are recordings of conversations in his Chicago office.
Authorities say there were six people, who are unidentified in the complaint, whom Blagojevich was considering for the Senate position. One, referred to only as "Senate Candidate 6," is a "wealthy person from Illinois" who, Blagojevich allegedly said, "could raise me money."
The schedule shows Blagojevich met on Sept. 8 with Blair Hull, an independently wealthy businessman who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2004 -- the seat that Obama won. The schedule also indicates the meeting was attended by "Lon," an apparent reference to former Blagojevich chief of staff Lon Monk, who appears in the complaint as "Lobbyist 1." Authorities acknowledge Monk's phone was tapped, too.
None of the unidentified people in the complaint has been charged with wrongdoing.
On Sept. 2, Blagojevich was scheduled to have breakfast with investor J.B. Pritzker, whose sister is Obama supporter Penny Pritzker.
Guerrero said he knew nothing about the Hull and Pritzker meetings. Hull declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Pritzker did not return a call Tuesday, but an aide told the AP last month that Pritzker is not Senate Candidate 6.
Guerrero confirmed that Blagojevich attended the Sept. 27 party for Zell. Prosecutors say wiretaps caught Blagojevich and his aides scheming to trade a government grant involving Wrigley Field, which Zell was seeking to sell, for the dismissal of editorial writers who had been advocating impeaching the governor.
A Tribune spokesman declined to comment because of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Cubs spokesman Jason Carr said he didn't know who initiated the meeting between GM Hendry and Blagojevich at Wrigley Field on Nov. 21, before the two adjourned for lunch at Harry Caray's Tavern. But Carr said the sale of Wrigley Field is not part of Hendry's official concern, and doubts the subject came up.
"They talked about baseball," Carr said.
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Associated Press writers Adam Goldman and Deanna Bellandi contributed to this report.
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