Rezko co-defendant donated to Clinton supporter Rendell

Tony Rezko is a well-known name in Chicago politics and local news coverage of alleged crimes. But he popped up prominently into the national political discussion only this week when during a heated exchange in a South Carolina Democratic debate Hillary Clinton accused Barack Obama of having been lawyer for the "slum landlord" Rezko.

Rezko was indeed close to Obama, nurturing him early in his career, as The Times noted in a front-page article on Wednesday, and Obama did a little legal work on a Rezko-related housing deal when he was a young lawyer in Chicago.

Then, this morning during an interview of Clinton on NBC's "Today Show,"....

Matt Lauer produced an undated photo showing Rezko standing between a smiling Hillary and Bill Clinton with an American flag in the background.

The senator claimed not to know Rezko anyway and Lauer helpfully suggested in her defense that public figures often pose for pictures with strangers at public events. Lauer neglected to mention that such assembly-line photo ooportunities are typically taken at political fund-raisers and cost guests extra money.

But big as the country is, its politics is also a small world. So when former Philadelphia mayor and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed Clinton earlier this week, some folks wondered if Rezko had helped Rendell. Sure enough, the New York Times found that when Rendell was also head of the Democratic National Committee in 2000, Rezko delivered $15,000 to the national party.

Although there is no known direct Rezko donation to Rendell, a review of the governor's campaign finance reports by The Times' intrepid campaign finance expert Dan Morain does reveal a definite connection. Back in September of 2005 Rendell took $1,000 from Ali D. Ata of Lemont, Ill.

Now who, you might ask, is Ali D. Ata? He turns out to be a Rezko co-defendant in one of the federal indictments pending in Chicago. The government alleges that in February 2004, Ata, then executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, signed a letter that helped Rezko fraudulently obtain a multi-million dollar loan.

As for Ata's contribution to Rendell, the governor's spokesman, Chuck Ardo, said today that the Ali donation was given at a fund-raiser in Chicago. "As always," Ardo said, "the governor will allow the legal process to proceed before making any decisions about what to do with the contribution.”

Obama also received a donation from Ata -- $5,000 back in 2003. But, unlike Clinton supporter Rendell, Obama decided not to await a potential conviction. He's already donated a matching amount to charity.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[stretch]

Huh? Are you going to list all the Obama supporters who received money from Rezko?

Pathetic, slanted reporting.

(All of the Obama supporters who received money from Rezko? Read what you wrote again. Pathetic, inexplicable question.)

[Colin Kalmbacher]

Obama in Oh-Eight.

[Brian]

Clintons are corrupt to the core, and Americans still do not know how many more skeletons are in their closets. Their campaign strategy is to make Obama as dirty if not more as them. Democrats love Clintons and they will pick Hillary. But, they are bound to lose the November general election because two critical constituents will desert Hillary, the independents who sort of like Obama and the youth. May be even blocks of African-Americans. I bet Republicans will capture the WhiteHouse, if the Democrats fail to come out of Bill Clinton magic in time.

[BubbaHas]

I am 100% white and proud. I am also an Obama supporter. The uptmost quality in a leader is inspiration.

Hillary is a skillful politcian. I saw this video. It has over a million hits already. She really will say or do anything to get elected.
link:

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

[mona]

So it is really quite simple if everyone just uses their common sense.

When you take a photo with a celebrity or vip whomever it may be the only person the photo is important to is who? YOU!! You would be the only person to keep the photo. So simply put the photo belongs to Rezko...I wonder how The Today show got their hands on it? I am willing to bet money it was from Rezko's buddy Obama.

Obama the Oreo 08

[Franklin Smythwick]

Your attempt to somehow link rezko with clinton in a pathetic and sad example of your own incompetence as a journalist. (I think you are better suited at 6th grade creative writing the way this article goes). If you actually spent anytime investigating and reading about Rezko you would see that there is no similiarity between Obama;s reationship with him and your ludicrous insinuation that rendell is somehow inked to rezko and because rendll endorsed Hillary now rezko is linked to Hillary? I don't think I could stop myself from laughing if this wasn't just really really sad.

[CHOCOLATEICE]

Dump the Clintons. They are old NEWS for the demo party. Why should the demo party go back in the past. Do not give the Clintons another 12 years. Enough is enough. We must move forward with new ideals without the Clintons. The Clintons have destroyed the Demo Party forever. No more CLINTONS!

[wowed...not]

Does anyone else find it farcial to donate money in a 2008 campaign to attone for tainted contributions to a different campaign in 2003?

I mean, come on: all that Rezko money Obama got from 1995 to 2005 HELPED Obama win his State and U.S. Senate seats.

And the $5,000 in 2003 from another Rezko associate was spent and used to help Obama win his 2004 campaign.

The thousands of dollars Rezko donated to each of Obama's campaigns made a huge difference back then. Those same thousands in the context of a $100 MILLION dollar Presidential campaign are drops in the bucket.

If your researchers want a story about Rezko Obama (which they don't appear to care about), go back and look at

(i) how much did it cost Obama to run for State Senate in 1996 and 2000?

(ii) how much did Rezko RAISE for Obama in each campaign? Personal donations from Rezko, donations from Rezkos companies, Rezkos friends, etc.

REZKO RAISED MONEY in each campaign / Total cost of each campaign -- what's that percentage?

Rezko donated 10's of thousands to Obama's initial State Senate run. It doesn't and didn't cost all that much to run for State Senate in Illinois, I'm guessing the average candidate spent less than $100,000 in those campaigns in 1996 and 2000.

But it's easy enough to find out that information for your research staff.

[Mattia]

Now who, you might ask, understands why this article is newsworthy? Not me. Barack is the one with a 17-year relationship with Rezko - both financial and personal. Not HIllary. END OF STORY.

[FJ Stratford]

So ONE Hillary supporter got contributions from Rezko?

How many Obama supporter's? I can name at least one - Blagojevich, who is implicated becuase Rezko peddled his influence in the Illinois governor's administration.

Is that news enough for you? Or is it not biased enough?

[FJ Stratford]

BubbaHas-the-lying Obama supporter

Even Republicans were running away from that video when it first came out a decade ago because it was full of lies.

[Marty Didier]

For “We the People” it’s a real sad time that our election process has proven to be a sham. I personally know the Clintons (and Bush’s and others) are involved in a huge Federal Criminal System that is being artificially protected for those involved. How I know may interest you…..
I was in a family for more than 26 years who joined a huge criminal system when I first married. Their job within this group is to launder “Drug and Gun Running” money straight into property using Mortgage fraud with Big Banks. The Clintons, Bush Family and others are directly involved in this system. It makes what was happening in Mena while Bill Clinton was Governor a child’s toy. Plus, Clyde O’Connor who was an owner/pilot of one of the Drug jet planes carrying TON’s of Cocaine that was busted last year happens to be my ex-sister-in-law’s brother. Everyone on the Internet is looking for the “money man” behind Clyde and I know for fact he is my ex-sister-in-law’s husband, my ex-brother-in-law. Please note that the “Gun Running” part has already been in the news with Chiquita and Drummond however what many don’t know is that both of these companies plus others also are/were shipping in huge amounts of drugs. In the 90’s, Chicago alone was getting a weekly $100 Million dollar shipment of drugs that was split up with Florida and New York as well. That amounts to more than $5 Billion per year and there were other huge weekly shipments going elsewhere! Guess who has been feeding our kids cocaine for all these years! You’ll be shocked to know what the money is being used for and who all is involved!
As far as Rezko, this is personal for me as I fear that my youngest son is linked in with Rezko’s illegal activities. The Federal Criminal system that the Clintons are part of, are blocking everyone from surfacing the real truth with the crimes involved.
Hillary and Bill opened the wrong closet this time!!
A friend of mine with another past experience and I would be willing to help Obama if he needs it. This could be something we are all looking for.
Marty Didier
Northbrook, IL