Fed Document: Blago, Rezko, Obama and Valerie Jarrett

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on the important court document unsealed today in the coming Blago trial:

The document portrays the former governor as making a desperate grab for cash throughout the former governor’s tenure as Illinois’ chief executive, including by pressuring fund-raisers and aides to find work for his wife. As a federal investigation into Blagojevich ramped up, so too did his desperation to secure cash for himself or a job for Patti Blagojevich or himself, prosecutors allege.

Blagojevich, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saw dollar signs when Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat became vacant, according to the prosecution filing. That’s because a close Obama friend, Valerie Jarrett, was interested in the seat.

“Blagojevich questioned whether the president-elect [Obama] could do ‘something big’ in the ‘private sector’ for Blagojevich in exchange for the Senate seat,” the proffer says. Jarrett, now an adviser to President Obama, pulled out of contention for the seat on Nov. 12, 2008.

In December 2008, Blagojevich is allegedly caught on tape saying U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. "wants it badly and desperately and he’s the only one who’s willing to, like, offer stuff.”

Who could forget Obama's warm endorsement of Rod Blagojevich.