Thursday, July 1, 2010

Union boss under oath says Obama called him about Senate job for Jarrett. Where are Woodward and Bernstein?

"...no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat,"".
(Thomas Balanoff is President of the SEIU Illinois Council)
"Top union leader Thomas Balanoff said he was at dinner the night before the November Presidential election when he got a call that was blocked.
So he didn't take it.
  • Later he listened to his messages: "I walked outside, listened to it and it was from President Obama," Balanoff said.

"Tom, this is Barack, give me a call," the soon-to-be President-Elect said on the message.

  • After Balanoff sent word through an Obama aide to call him back, Obama returned his call later that night.

"Tom, I want to talk to you with regard to the Senate seat," Obama told him.

Balanoff said Obama said he had two criteria: someone who was good for the citizens of Illinois and could be elected in 2010. Obama said he wasn't publicly coming out in support of anyone but

"I would much prefer she (remain in the White House) but

  • she does want to be Senator and she does meet those two criteria," Balanoff said Obama told him.

Balanoff then described a Nov. 6, 2008 meeting he had with Rod Blagojevich to recommend Valerie Jarrett for Barack Obama's Senate seat.

  • Blagojevich responded that he was in "active discussions" with the Madigans about appointing Lisa Madigan and was holding out for a legislative package with the House speaker.

"I said that could be months. He said, 'Yeah'. I said Valerie Jarrett, I don't believe she has that kind of time," Balanoff testified.

via T. Lifson, American Thinker
  • The media is dismissing this as "no direct conflict" with Obama's previous statement. Assuming this is the only point (which it isn't) it actually does conflict. He said no one representing him was involved in any deal making. Does Obama not represent himself? He made the call. ed.

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