Corruption Case Taints Rising Political Star

The New York Times reports:

As the corruption trial of the political fund-raiser Antoin Rezko winds to a close here, testimony about power-brokering at the highest levels of state government has battered the career of an Illinois politician who once had his sights set on the White House.

When the trial began two months ago, national attention focused on how Senator Barack Obama of Illinois might suffer because of his connection to Mr. Rezko, a former patron who made a fortune on fast food and real estate.

But it is Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, an ambitious chief executive who has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing, who is left flailing in the wake of weeks of testimony. His name and administration have surfaced repeatedly, described as a participant in the kickback schemes of which Mr. Rezko is accused.

While Mr. Obama’s campaign for the presidency has been dogged by questions about Mr. Rezko, the fallout for him has so far been slight. Mr. Obama, who has not been accused of any crime, donated money that was raised for him by Mr. Rezko to charity and said he regretted what he called his bad judgment on a property sale between their families.

But Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, has been so badly wounded by association with the case that he may not be able to recover, whatever the verdict for Mr. Rezko, according to interviews with academic experts and political commentators who are weighing the impact of testimony.

Former allies have called on Mr. Blagojevich to quit. His lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn, has asked him to “clear the air” by clarifying his relationships with the accused. And his plummeting popularity fueled a drive in the Legislature to give voters the power of recalling elected officials. It only narrowly failed.

“The governor’s behavior up to this point suggests he won’t go quietly, but it becomes increasingly more difficult for him to be effective and for people to take him seriously,” said Kent Redfield, a professor at the Institute for Legislative Studies at the University of Illinois, Springfield. “It just seems like daily we get something new that links the governor’s office to something. It’s pretty disappointing.”

But even before the trial, Mr. Blagojevich (pronounced bluh-GOY-uh-vich) was embroiled in a federal investigation into hiring fraud that spanned multiple departments under his purview.

That the Rezko trial has compounded these woes has generated more than just bad press and a sour public mood. There is rising expectation among the public and political experts that Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney in Chicago, will bring charges against Mr. Blagojevich, 57, even as the governor has denied any criminal activity.

The New York Times made a mistake on Blagojevich's age,he's 51.