According to ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper, who was nimble enough to transcribe a November 23, 2008 appearance by David Axelrod on Fox News Chicago before it "disappeared" from YouTube, Axelrod had the following to say about communication between President-elect Obama and Blagojevich:
While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a "kingmaker," Axelrod said, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
Axelrod has since recanted those statements, as reported by our friends at Hot Air, but the cat's out of the bag.
So, can we find a thread between Axelrod and Blagojevich?
My research turned on up from an article published November 12, 2008 in Bond Buyer, a trade publication. (See full citation below.) I'll skip the fluff - you can read the story yourself for the less relevant portions. Here's the nut:
In early 2007, Blagojevich elevated Filan to a senior advisory position with the title of chief operating officer overseeing state agencies that manage capital planning, infrastructure, and economic development...
Some have speculated that Filan's ties to President-elect Barack Obama's chief political strategist, David Axelrod, may help land him a Washington job.
He didn't get that Washington job, he landed a position as the executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority. The IFA is integral in the current scandal for its role in the financing of the construction of the new Wrigley Field ballpark.
So, it seems that John Filan may be the link between David Axelrod, top campaign advisor to Obama and slated to be a senior advisor to in the White House, and Blagojevich.
Although Reuters reported December 9 that Filan denied knowledge of the charges against Blagojevich, it is Filan's possible ties to Axelrod that should cause some to deny Obama's top advisor the right to wriggle off the hook so quickly.
I will be searching for confirmation of the relationship between Axelrod and Filan. Perhaps someone in the credentialed media would like to ask Axelrod or Filan directly? Something like this should be put on the record.
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Source: Yvette Shields. "Illinois Fiscal Chief Filan to Lead IFA. " Bond Buyer [New York, N.Y.] 12 Nov. 2008,1. ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. ProQuest. King County Library System, Bothell, WA. 10 Dec. 2008. Direct URL: http://0-proquest.umi.com.catalog.kcls.org/pqdweb?did=1597235831&sid=7&Fmt=3&clientId=13518&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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