Dec 9, 2008 5:09 pm US/Central
Feds: Governor Tried To Shake Down Tribune Co.
Allegedly Threatened To Hold Up Wrigley Sale Unless Journalists Were Fired
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The corruption allegations against Gov. Blagojevich surprisingly led the feds to the Chicago Tribune.
The governor is accused of trying to shake down the company, using the Cubs and Wrigley Field as leverage.
As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, Blagojevich famously portrays himself as a Cubs fan, but federal prosecutors accuse Blagojevich of threatening to block the sale of Wrigley Field to the state, unless the Tribune backed off its blistering editorial criticism.
He even allegedly wanted members of the editorial board fired.
"Fire all those f---ing people, get them out of there," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, quoting Blagojevich's statements caught on wiretaps.
Federal investigators say phone wiretaps recorded Blagojevich, his chief of staff John Harris, and even his wife, Patty, all pushing for a Trib editorial board purge.
Patty Blagojevich was heard saying on Nov. 3, "Hold up the f---ing Cubs. F—k em."
And, on Nov. 4, the governor said: "Everything is lined up, but before we go to the next level, we need to have a discussion about what you guys are doing about that newspaper."
Consultant Thom Serafin, who's advised scores of candidates, says pols are always trying to influence news coverage, but this is different.
"This is the first time when you have a CEO, the governor, express interest in removing people from their jobs on the editorial board,'' he said.
At stake, $100 million the state would pay the Tribune for Wrigley, money Trib owner Sam Zell desperately needed to avoid bankruptcy.
"It's surprising the governor of Illinois was trying to trade this situation for a 100-million tax break over here, and you have this on tape," Serafin said.
In a statement, the Tribune said it never wavered in its coverage of Blagojevich. And prosecutors praised the paper for delaying for days its report that Blagojevich's phones had been bugged.
In a statement, the Tribune says, if its high level finance people were getting strong armed by the governor, it never filtered down to the newsroom.
That may be why the Tribune never reported in its news pages that the governor was putting on the squeeze.
And the Trib says, no one was forced off the editorial board.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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