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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Illinois governor tried to taint tollway work |
| 2008-12-15 |
| FBI tapes reveal Blagojevich tried to force contractors to raise money Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been accused of getting his dirty hands on just about anything he could reach, and the Illinois Tollway appears to not be immune to his corrupt touch. According to FBI accounts, Blagojevich expected a major contractor involved with the $1.8 billion tollway construction program to raise $500,000 for his campaign fund. Tollway directors gave the green light to the program back in November, and the private firm still plans to go ahead with the upgrades, which include $1.4 billion worth of work on two major interchanges. According to the Chicago Tribune, critics said they believe Blagojevich was trying to squeeze as much out of pay-to-play endeavors before tougher rules on fundraising went into effect. The FBI singled out two conversations Blagojevich had involving the Illinois Tollway work. During one, the Illinois governor told a fundraiser, “I could have made a larger announcement but wanted to see how they [road contractors] perform by the end of the year. If they don’t perform, [bleep] them.” Blagojevich then discussed raising money with a highway contractor before the rule on campaign contributions changed. The Illinois Tollway project also includes a $400 million plan to add congestion-relief “green lanes,” but truckers, who would have to pay more in tolls starting in seven years, were urging officials not to pass the measure. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #1 Geez, the Tollway has been dirty since the beginning. |
| Posted by: Spot 2008-12-15 21:27 |