• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Will Levine Testimony Impact Illinois Politics?

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Oct 27, 2006 7:25 pm US/Central

Will Levine Testimony Impact Illinois Politics?

Political Donor Under Scrutiny Contributed To Dems And GOP

Get breaking news alerts
by Mike Flannery
CHICAGO (CBS) ― The political fallout from the Friday testimony and guilty plea of political fundraiser, donor and one-time Blagojevich confidant Stuart Levine may be far-ranging.

Governor Rod Blagojevich promised four years ago to end "business as usual."

But it came to light that some people in his inner circle cut crooked deals with veteran Republican fixers like Levine.

CBS 2's Political Editor Mike Flannery looks at the impact on the race for governor now that the election is less than two weeks away.

Students of Stuart Levine's multi-million dollar crimes point out that his plea agreement contains a serious new allegation against so-called Individual E.

Fundraiser Tony Rezko is under indictment.

The new allegation that Rezko, Levine and Individual E all conspired to steer state business to a firm they controlled and then planned to split the profits leaves longtime reformers like Cindy Canary gasping at such hypocrisy right inside the governor's inner circle.

"Who does this 'no more business as usual' administration turn to, to show their bi-partisanship?" asked Canary.

The answer: two of the most notorious Republicans around.

A spokeswoman for the Blagojevich campaign noted that the Levine plea agreement scarcely refers at all to Blagojevich. They claim that "makes clear that Gov. Blagojevich had absolutely no knowledge of any of the wrongdoing."

Despite Levine's long history of contributing $1.5 million to Republicans, GOP candidates still hope his criminal connections to the current governor's inner circle will bring Blagojevich down.

Judy Baar Topinka's running mate, Joe Birkett, said he plans to return the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions Stuart Levine gave him. He hasn't done so yet, underscoring why this bi-partisan scandal may have minimal impact at the polls Nov. 7th.

Voters believe both parties are tainted.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.