Taxpayer Organization: Hold Rahm Emanual and Patrick Quinn to Same Standard as Rod Blagojevich

The Vice-President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today admonished those in Illinois’ legal system and news media to hold Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanual (D) and Ill. Gov. Patrick Quinn (D) to the same standard of behavior as former Governor Rod Blagojevich (D).

“Former Governor Blagojevich is aggressively being tried a second time for allegedly offering a U.S. Senate seat for $50,000,” said Christina Tobin, Vice-President of TUA. “Yet Rahm Emanual, scheduled to take office on May 16 as Mayor of Chicago, reportedly offered $50,000 to his tenant, Rob Halpin, as an ‘inducement’ for him to vacate his house prior to the expiration of the lease, so Emanual could move back in and present a more convincing case that he was a ‘resident’ of Chicago.”

“Meanwhile, when former State Rep. Careen Gordon (D) lost her bid for re-election, she approached Gov. Patrick Quinn about an $86,000-a-year job on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. Quinn, who was struggling to put together enough votes to pass his gargantuan 67% state income tax increase, reportedly solicited her support for the increase while she was still in office. Gordon, who previously indicated she was against the tax increase, supplied Quinn with the Yes vote needed to reach the 60 votes required to pass the tax hike. Three days later, Quinn appointed her to the Prisoner Review Board.”

“She left the Prisoner Review Board rather than face a difficult confirmation vote in the Illinois Senate, and approached Gov. Quinn, who again was eager to help her — this time for a job that did not require General Assembly confirmation. Gordon received a job as an $84,000-a-year associate general counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.”

“While Blagojevich has been savaged and ridiculed in the media, Emanual has been treated with kid gloves, almost reverentially, and Quinn has largely escaped the bludgeoning Blago has received. The hypocrisy of the media has been staggering, and the disinterest on the part of law enforcement is, shall we say, highly suspicious.”

“It is no wonder that people have so little faith in government, the legal system, and the news media,” said Tobin. “All three are broken, and until they stop playing favorites, this distrust will grow and will continue to eat away at our society.”

Click here to view this news release as a PDF.