Obama Wants Mob Banker To Fill His Old Senate Seat

The president who promised change wants a shady pal whose bank folded after giving Russian mobsters and a jailed Democratic fundraiser millions of dollars to fill the U.S. Senate seat he once occupied.

The unwavering endorsement of Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Senator certainly indicates that President Obama wants to maintain the status quo—rather than change it—in the famously corrupt Chicago political monster that’s been empowered by his presidency.

Currently Illinois State Treasurer, Giannoulias has enough skeletons in his closet to question the support of a commander-in-chief. The family bank (Broadway Bank) he operated in  Chicago was shut down earlier this year by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. For years Broadway Bank did business with convicted felons and mobsters by providing them with tens of millions of dollars in “loans” that inevitably fortified their criminal enterprises.

Jailed Syrian businessman Antoin Rezko, a longtime Obama supporter and benefactor, also got a $23 million “loan” from Broadway Bank while he was embroiled in a huge federal investigation. Rezko’s probe quickly resulted in criminal charges and subsequent bribery, mail fraud and money laundering convictions.

Most recently Giannoulias was embroiled in the bribery scandal masterminded by ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Court testimony in Blagojevich’s corruption trial indicates that Giannoulias, who was subpoenaed to testify, tried to sway the disgraced governor to appoint him to Obama’s old senate seat. The jury is still contemplating Blagojevich’s fate in a Chicago federal courthouse where Obama and his top advisers were repeatedly mentioned throughout the trial.

Just blocks away from the deliberations, the president held a fundraiser for Giannoulias this week at a fancy downtown Chicago hotel. The shindig raked in a few million bucks and provided Obama with a venue to praise his good friend and basketball partner. “I know his character,” the president told the crowd.” I know how much he loves this country. I know how committed he is to public service for all the right reasons.”

More importantly, Obama said, “you can trust” Giannoulias. One political news publication points out that it was a “valiant effort to help Giannoulias move past the ethics questions that have dogged his campaign.” That may very well be the understatement of the month.