More troubles for Blogojevich
The troubles for the Blagojevich administratio keep on mounting. Not only is he bilking Illinois tax payers out of money for his trips back and forth from Chicago (the new captial) to Springfield, now we are paying his legal bills to stop FOIA from seeing what he has been charged with. Smae old Same old in the great Demcratic Republic of Chicago.
Judge determines Blago’s subpoenas are public records under FOIA
Gov. Rod Blagojevich must release subpoenas received from federal prosecutors who are investigating possible corruption in his administration, a Sangamon County judge ruled Wednesday.
The order from Circuit Judge Patrick Kelley came more than a year after Attorney General Lisa Madigan reached the same conclusion and told the governor’s office that the subpoenas are public records under the state Freedom of Information Act.
The lawsuit was filed by the Chicago-based Better Government Association after U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said his office was investigating allegations of improper hiring in the Blagojevich administration.The governor’s quest for secrecy is getting expensive for taxpayers. According to the state comptroller’s office, the state has paid more than $150,000 to private attorneys who are representing the governor’s office in FOIA lawsuits aimed at prying loose the subpoenas.
The state has paid more than $33,800 to Londrigan, Potter and Randle, a Springfield law firm that is representing the governor in the BGA lawsuit. Taxpayers have paid another $124,850 to Bell, Boyd and Lloyd, a Chicago firm that is representing Blagojevich in a pending FOIA lawsuit filed in Cook County by Judicial Watch, a Washington, D.C., government watchdog group seeking the same subpoenas.
Taxpayers could also end up paying the BGA because state law says the government must cover legal fees for plaintiffs who prevail in FOIA lawsuits if an information request isn’t filed for commercial purposes.
“It’s precisely what I expected to happen,” said Paul Orfanedes, attorney for Judicial Watch. “The governor didn’t want the advice of the attorney general. He wanted to get the advice he wanted to hear, so it’s cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars and taken up the court’s time. It’s disgraceful.”— We are Illinios
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