Barack Obama,  Rahm Emanuel,  Rod Blagojevich

Another Day in the Obama – Blagojevich Cover-Up: Do You Have Another Question?

Obama and hot rod

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and President-Elect Barack Obama

The internal Obama Transition Team report (which details any contact their staff had with members of Illinois Governor Blagojevich) will not be released until next Monday, December 22.

And, Obama is obviously NOT going to answer any questions about the matter.

At today’s Chicago press conference, Obama was pressed by only one reporter out of four about embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The president-elect cut the Chicago reporter off — claiming that he didn’t want to “waste” their time –- before they could finish a question about Blagojevich.

“Do you have another question?” Obama asked, indicating the reporter should move on to another subject.

However, the reporter continued, trying to get Obama to remedy a seeming conflict between Obama’s “hands-off” approach dealing with the Blagojevich investigation and his promise for openness and transparency.

“The U.S. attorney’s office specifically asked us not to release this until next week,” Obama said of his Transition Team’s internal investigation that has yet to be made fully public, “The facts are going to be released next week.  It would be inappropriate for me to comment.”

The Transition Team will make their investigation available on Dec. 22nd, which will confirm who on Obama’s staff communicated with Blagojevich. No one on Obama’s staff is accused of any wrong-doing by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Obama said he has not confirmed the Chicago Tribune’s reporting over the weekend that his incoming Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel, had a conversation with Blagojevich’s staff.

“I haven’t confirmed that it was accurate,” Obama said as Emmanuel looked on from the side lines of the press conference, “I don’t want to get into the details at this point.”

And, next week Obama and his family will be vacationing in Hawaii and probably be unavailable for questions.

The press is starting to get wise and although there is nothing to indicate at this time Barack Obama’s direct involvement in the selling of his U.S.. Senate seat there remain some unanswered questions, particularly as to the role of his Chief of Staff, and former Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel.

Obama held his news conference shortly after his transition office released a statement by spokesman Dan Pfeiffer saying the internal review had found no wrongdoing.

Like the president-elect, the statement left several issues uncovered.

It did not say whether Emanuel was heard on a wiretap providing the governor’s top aide with a list of names that the president-elect favored. Nor did it say who, if anyone, on Obama transition’s team had made contact with the governor or his aides concerning a replacement for Obama or whether Craig interviewed people under oath, or to whom he talked.

Pfeiffer said the review “affirmed the public statements of the president-elect that he had no contact with the governor or his staff, and that the president-elect’s staff was not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor as U.S. Senator.”

So, the exit question: What is Obama trying to hide?


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