Emanuel, Blagojevich weee never close, sources say
By Reid Wilson
Rahm Emanuel and Rod Blagojevich maneuvered their way up the chain in Chicago politics, but they have never been especially close, according to sources who know the high-profile Democratic politicians.
Rep. Emanuels reported involvement in discussing Barack Obamas Senate seat with the embattled Illinois governors staff has put the spotlight on the relationship the two men have had.
Though active in the same Chicago political circles, Blagojevich and Emanuel were not dependent on one another, said Pete Giangreco, an Illinois consultant who has worked with both men.
“Neither one of them owed a thing to the other,” Giangreco said.
Others didn’t want to be quoted openly discussing Blagojevich and the incoming White House chief of staff, but they suggested there has been a rivalry of sorts between the 52-year-old governor and 49-year-old lawmaker.
Emanuel, many said, thinks he is smarter than Blagojevich, while Blagojevich believes Emanuel rose too fast through the political ranks.
“They come from remarkably different worlds, but it’s funny, their vocabulary is remarkably similar,” Giangreco joked, referring to Blagojevich’s profanity-laced conversations, made public in the recently filed criminal complaint, and to Emanuel’s fondness of four-letter words.
Despite their differences, Emanuel and Blagojevichs top aide, John Harris, were in regular contact after Barack Obamas election-night victory, according to a recent report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The article stated that Emanuels voice was recorded on 21 taped conversations and that he gave Harris a list of candidates Obama wanted to fill the open Senate seat.
Emanuel, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has declined to comment since federal prosecutors unveiled their charges against Blagojevich last week. Read the rest of this entry »