If you follow Illinois politics, then you know of the serious charges against former governor George Ryan and a number of cronies -- the federal government alleges that Ryan and a number of his political friends and allies had the Illinois Secretary of State's office and the governor's mansion up for sale to the highest bidder. The feds have alleged Ryan obstructed investigations by the State's Attorney against political contributors; steered contracts to friends despite warnings certain of his friends were involved in questionable financial activities; and received gifts and money by using his public offices (and attendant political muscle) to grease the skids for his friends, among other allegations. A big part of Ryan's problem is that he seems to believe that political loyalty invites a blank check in return; Ryan's public comments (when he was making them before he was formally indicted about a year ago) were ridiculously out of touch with reality.
While I applauded Ryan's suspension of the death penalty and commutation of death sentences in his final days in office, it seems clear that this action was intended, at least in part to try and offset the storm he must have known was coming, even before his election to office, in which he denied any knowledge of, or involvement of the Secretary of State's office in the licenses for bribes scandal, which in retrospect, has made him look at worst a bald-faced liar who would cover up anything to get elected, and at best a doddering fool who had no idea what was going on in his own house. If even some of what the federal government alleges is true, Ryan should do hard prison time in a real federal prison.
The Chicago Tribune's latest story can be found here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/premium/printedition/Wednesday/chi-0501050224jan05,2,7397115.story?coll=chi-printnewswednesday-hed
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