Obama to be in background of trial

[durrrty libby]

"CHICAGO -- Starting even before Barack Obama graduated from law school, his career as a lawyer and politician was nurtured by a Chicago businessman named Tony Rezko.
--snip--

They met in 1990 when Rezko, then starting a low-income housing development business, noticed a news article about Obama being elected the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. One of Rezko's partners called Obama on Rezko's behalf and offered him a job, according to a Chicago Sun-Times account last year.

Obama declined. But their paths soon would cross -- and Rezko would become an issue in the presidential campaign.

--snip--

In a January debate, Clinton jabbed Obama over his legal representation of Rezko "in his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago."

Obama shook his head and said that the characterization was not accurate. "I was an associate at a law firm that represented a church group that had partnered with this individual to do a project, and I did about five hours' worth of work on this joint project. That's what she's referring to."

Though Obama did represent a church, he also represented the nonprofit Woodlawn Preservation & Investment Corp., founded by Bishop Arthur Brazier of the Apostolic Church of God. In an interview, Brazier said his role as a Woodlawn director was separate from his work at the church.

Woodlawn was partners with Rezko in four low-income housing projects with hundreds of units. In at least one instance, in 1994, Obama represented Woodlawn on a troubled project it later shared with Rezko. The city of Chicago sued, alleging Woodlawn failed to provide tenants with heat in the winter, and Obama represented the landlord in court."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-rezko3mar03,0,6351313.story



So the community organizer "on the streets helping the poor", also helped to keep their heat off

in the freezing winter of Chicago for the slumlord Rezko? And 5 hours?...yeah right

[Renew Deal]

1. If you want to get into this we can get into Hillary defending rapists

and attacking child molestation victims.

[LisaL]

3. I personally admire her for doing a good job for her indigent

client, as if he were paying her the big $.

[Renew Deal]

6. I understand exactly how it's "supposed to work."

What's good for the goose...

[durrrty libby]

9. Start your own thread

[Renew Deal]

10. For what?

[emilyg]

21. If I ever needed a public defendant would hope they do a good job.

[tishaLA]

2. So a lawyer represented his client in court

how is this different from Sen Clinton representing an accused child molester?

[bluestateguy]

4. Do the Clintons really want to go there?

They have been in the "background" of more than a few trials over the last 15 years.

[superkia]

22. Obviously they do, allot of her supporters fall for this type of stuff...

and for some reason think it is how our politicians should run for office? The problem is that the media wont cover them both the same way and the voters that are umm a little slow believe whatever the media shoves down their throat. The elite and corrupt have already chosen the next president for us and they wont lose.

[ccpup]

5. I'm sure the Obama Campaign wishes this would just go away

and the Coronation would pick up where it left off. I mean, geez, that crown and scepter were RIGHT THERE A-L-M-O-S-T within REACH! Could ... almost ... touch ... it ... but ...

Damn.

:mad:

(sigh)

[Justitia]

7. So, what was that whole backstory about Vince Foster's suicide again? -eom

[MojoMojoMojo]

8. What? BONEHEAD represented Rezco in court!

This is going to hurt Obama bigtime.A 2nd lie for this week.Hes on a roll.

[anigbrowl]

16. Nope. More facts for the foolish:

Rezmar (Rezko's company) was represented by Wayne Muldrow, who worked for a different Law firm. Obama was representing Central Woodlawn, a non-profit. The case never went to trial because it was dismissd after a building inspection found that the building was up to code. Nor did this take place in winter.

See #14 for more detail.

[MojoMojoMojo]

23. Rezco is definitely a slumlord that is no exageration

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article
"For more than five weeks during the brutal winter of 1997, tenants shivered without heat in a government-subsidized apartment building on Chicago's South Side.Rezko and Mahru couldn't find money to get the heat back on.But their company, Rezmar Corp., did come up with $1,000 to give to the political campaign fund of Barack Obama, the newly elected state senator whose district included the unheated building."

"By the time Rezmar started working with those community groups, at least two of its earlier buildings were falling into disrepair -- including the Englewood apartment building at 7000 S. Sangamon where the tenants were without heat for five weeks.

The tenants there had no heat from Dec. 27, 1996, until at least Feb. 3, 1997, when the city of Chicago sued to turn the heat on. The case was settled later that month with a $100 fine.

It was during that time that the area's new state senator, Barack Obama, got a $1,000 campaign donation from Rezmar. The date: Jan. 14, 1997. "
"Eleven of Rezko's buildings were in Obama's state Senate district."
"Seventeen buildings -- many beset with code violations, including a lack of heat -- ended up in foreclosure.

• Six buildings are currently boarded up.

• Hundreds of the apartments are vacant, in need of major repairs.

• Taxpayers have been stuck with millions in unpaid loans.

• At least a dozen times, the city of Chicago sued Rezmar for failure to heat buildings. "

[tabatha]

17. No, he represented Woodlawn in court.

He did about 5 hours of legal work for Rezko long before there were any signs of problems.
Read the article again.

[mahina]

11. Right out of Rove's playbook, attack on the opponent's strength.

For Kerry, that was his service to country in Vietnam. Enter, the swiftboaters. For Obama, it's integrity. This is a proven tactic of the right, and until Hillary releases her taxes, and all lobbyist contributions and donations are transparent, it is the mote in my neighbor's eye and the beam in Ms. Clinton's.

[UALRBSofL]

12. OP Thanks for posting the article

It's interesting to find out more information about Obama as the political cycle goes along.

[durrrty libby]

13. There is a daily blog covering the court procedings and

a blog for all things Rezko if you are interested

Links

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-rezko-court-story,0,7957753.story



http://rezkowatch.blogspot.com/

[anigbrowl]

14. Yawn...debunked by a HILLARY SITE

Reprint of a Chicago Yribune story on a HRC supporter site...scroll down to section 3 'Some projects Soured'.

Confirms Obama did not represent Rezko in court but the non-profit Central Woodlawn., Rezko's company had its own lawyer, the case took place in September - not exactly winter; and the case was dismissed 2 months later after an inspection found that the building was compliant with building codes.

http://hillaryclintonclub.com/2008/01/obama-rezko-ties-again-at-issue.html

Also confirms you didn't look too hard for the facts, just for something that'd look good in a smear thread. Next!

[Exilednight]

15. Hillary has her own Rezko problems .....

 The company’s attorney, Myron “Mike” Cherry, also a contributor of yours(Clinton's), has been identified in published reports as “Individual H” in the Illinois criminal indictment of businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko. Cherry has acknowledged in published reports that he was the conduit for some of the IPA campaign contributions.

http://www.reversespin.com/?m=200709

[anigbrowl]

18. Yeah, I noticed that when researching the case

Too bad the Hillary folks who've been pushing the Rezko non-scandal didn't do their own research...they're going to be surprised when there's testimony about her backers instead of Obama. Especially considering she got a lot more money from much shadier people.

[Exilednight]

19. That's fine, I need a good laugh. Watching Hillary's plan backfire will do the trick.

[Adelante]

20. You know perfectly well he didn't represent Rezko

This has been posted a hundred times at least.

Law firm partner Judson Miner said that, over several years, Obama did a total of five to seven hours of billable work on Rezmar-linked projects. He mainly filed incorporation papers for the non-profit groups under the supervision of more senior attorneys, Miner said.

At the Tribune’s request, Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans produced a list of all 260 civil and criminal cases in which the firm filed appearances, and the Tribune separately examined 1990s lawsuits that Rezmar Corp. listed in applications for government grants. The paper also examined files from the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the city housing department, as well as the hundreds of clients Obama listed in the unusually frank ethics disclosure reports he filed as a state senator from December 1995 through April 2004.

Those and other records disclosed five instances in which Obama did legal work for ventures that included Rezmar Corp. The case of City of Chicago vs. Central Woodlawn Limited Partnership is one example.

In 1992, that community group partnered with Rezmar Corp. to rehab the former slum apartment building at 6107-6115 S. Ellis Ave. As work was ongoing, city officials sued the developers, alleging 16 serious code violations at the property, including a dangerously dilapidated porch.

Obama and a co-counsel filed appearances in February 1994, but the court records show they appeared on behalf of Central Woodlawn, Rezko’s non-profit partner, not Rezko or his company.

A separate attorney, Wayne Muldrow, represented Rezmar in the case. Muldrow, who had no connection to Obama’s firm, could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

In September 1994, Central Woodlawn was ordered to arrange for an inspection. Two months later a city inspection found “full compliance” with the building code and the case was dismissed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-rezko-clinton-080122,0,5430503.story?page=1&coll=chi_tab01_layout

[MojoMojoMojo]

24. Rezco is definitely a slumlord that is no exageration

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23...
"For more than five weeks during the brutal winter of 1997, tenants shivered without heat in a government-subsidized apartment building on Chicago's South Side.Rezko and Mahru couldn't find money to get the heat back on.But their company, Rezmar Corp., did come up with $1,000 to give to the political campaign fund of Barack Obama, the newly elected state senator whose district included the unheated building."

"By the time Rezmar started working with those community groups, at least two of its earlier buildings were falling into disrepair -- including the Englewood apartment building at 7000 S. Sangamon where the tenants were without heat for five weeks.

The tenants there had no heat from Dec. 27, 1996, until at least Feb. 3, 1997, when the city of Chicago sued to turn the heat on. The case was settled later that month with a $100 fine.

It was during that time that the area's new state senator, Barack Obama, got a $1,000 campaign donation from Rezmar. The date: Jan. 14, 1997. "
"Eleven of Rezko's buildings were in Obama's state Senate district."
"Seventeen buildings -- many beset with code violations, including a lack of heat -- ended up in foreclosure.

• Six buildings are currently boarded up.

• Hundreds of the apartments are vacant, in need of major repairs.

• Taxpayers have been stuck with millions in unpaid loans.

• At least a dozen times, the city of Chicago sued Rezmar for failure to heat buildings. "