The Chicago Sun-Times has an interesting list of Obama fundraisers:
LIST OF CHICAGO HOSTS OF THURSDAY CHICAGO FUND-RAISER
Robert Blackwell, Neil Bluhm, Peter C.B. Bynoe, Frank Clark, Les Coney, Jim Crown, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Joe Gutman, Bruce Heyman, State Comptroller Dan Hynes, David Jacobson, Steve Koch, John Levi, Charles A. Lewis, Cindy Moelis, Quintin Primo, Penny Pritzker, Jim Reynolds,
Robert Rivkin, Desiree Rogers, John W. Rogers Jr., Alan Solow, Lou Susman, Tina Tchen, Grace Tsao ‐ Wu, Jim Tyree & Anne Wedner
Just who is
Alexi Giannoulis? The New York Post in an September 5, 2007 article explains:
A man who has long been dogged by charges that the bank his family owns helped finance a Chicago crime figure will host a Windy City fund-raiser tonight for Sen. Barack Obama.
Alexi Giannoulias, who became Illinois state treasurer last year after Obama vouched for him, has pledged to raise $100,000 for the senator's Oval Office bid.
Before he promised to raise funds for Obama, Giannoulias bankrolled Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a Chicagoan twice convicted of bookmaking and promoting prostitution.
Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state's speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama's help.
Giannoulias was the bank's vice president and chief loan officer for most of the more than $15 million in loans.
He was not charged with breaking any laws. The Obama campaign disputed any suggestion that Obama is tarnished by the association.
"Barack Obama has a long record of fighting for ethics reform from his days as a state senator," a campaign rep said.
Barack Obama sure likes that old time Chicago style politics.In Illinois,even Mafia connected bankers can make it to elective office.
