Pay attention, people. Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has a sordid past. Even Scott Lee Cohen recently said that Giannoulias has a many more skeletons in his closet than he does, yet the Democrat Party has not asked him to quit the race for U.S. Senate. That's the same Illinois Democrat Party, by the way, that forced Cohen out of the Lt. Governor's race because.... uhm, were still not sure why. Via his family's deeply troubled Broadway Bank in Chicago, Giannoulias has connections to mobsters and alleged mobsters, including Tony Rezko, Michael "Jaws" Giorango, and Boston Blackie's owne Nick Giannis.
In an April 2 post titled "The Obama-Giannoulias-Mob Connection," we get a good synopsis of the Giannoulias cesspool of corruption and vile connections. Excerpts from TakingSides.com (emphasis added):
For years there have been under-reported connections between organized crime, Illinois Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias and President Barack Obama. But it has just gotten tougher for the president’s main stream media accomplices to keep under reporting and Mr. Giannoulias may be the next Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers for the administration.According to the Chicago Tribune, the bank owned by the Giannoulias family loaned a pair of Chicago crime figures about $20 million during a 14-month period when Giannoulias was a senior loan officer. Broadway Bank had already lent millions to Michael Giorango when he and a new business partner, Demitri Stavropoulos, came to the bank in mid-2004. Although both men were preparing to serve federal prison terms, the bank embarked on a series of loans to them.
Like many of us in late 2008, Ross Kaminsky tried to warn the nation about both Giannoulias and Obama (you did not listen then, perhaps you'll listen now). Kamisky's August 2008 post "Is Alexi Giannoulias Obama's next 'not the man I knew'?" brings attention to the close Obama-Giannoulias relationship, which is much deeper than their well-known basketball-based friendship. Excerpts Kaminsky's post at politicswest.com (Denver Post) (emphasis added):
Giannoulias also hosted a fund-raiser for Obama in Chicago in September, 2007, omitting it from his public schedule and keeping it closed to the press. Could it be that Obama didn’t want the press asking questions about a New York Post article published that same morning entitled “Obama's Mob-Tie $idekick”? ....Obama endorsed Giannoulias for State Treasurer when the latter was just 29 years old, but the NY Post reported that “Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state's speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama's help.” Obama remained a big supporter and is credited with having been an important factor in Giannoulias’s victory....
Kaminsky closed that post with this:The close association of Obama with a man who seems clearly to be involved in some shady deals with convicted criminals is yet another example of questionable judgment at best and typical dirty Chicago politics at worst. I wonder if Giannoulias will turn out to be the next in Obama’s never-ending series of “He’s not the man I knew”. You know, like Obama did with Jeremiah Wright.
Now here we are, in April of 2010, asking the same question about Obama possibly abandoning the tainted Giannoulias.
Add another, more current question: Will the Democrat Party of Illinois wake up and smell the stench, and ask him to step down? Perhaps, for now, but considering the stench of corruption that engulfs the states' Democrats, that may only be wishful thinking.
RELATED:
Giannoulias Bank Made Loans to Felons MyFox Chicago
Barack Obama and campaign contributor Alexi Giannoulias SourceWatch
Giannoulias Bank Made Loans to Felons (video) FoxNews via redlasso.com
Kirk: Giannoulias 'reckless' with bank Chicago Sun-Times
The Obama-Giannoulias Mob Connection - Pat Dollard
David Hoffman Attacks Alexi Giannoulias For Rezko Ties (Video) Huffington Post
Feds and Rezko Piecing together Ayers, Giannoulias, Obama Chicago Daily Observer
Major Giannoulias Donor Arrested Frum Forum
Obama Pal Alexi Giannoulias and his Hinky Broadway Bank... BigJournalism
A miserable week for Illinois Dems Crain's Chicago Business
Rev. Jeremiah Wright apologizes about blaming "them Jews" ... Chicago Sun-Times
Hat tip: Pat Dollard
"Alexi the Mob Banker" graphic by Warner T. Huston
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