Better than Brackett w/Collins & Cavise:Berkowitz w/Pat Collins on campaign contributions,public corruption & Leaders' slush fund;Cable&soon streaming
Jeff Berkowitz: ... Would you say [the four Illinois Legislative Leaders] have a slush fund of $25 million to elect people and its going to be unlimited [as to how much can be given to individual candidates] because ... but do they have a slush fund of $25 million?
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Jeff Berkowitz: When do you cross the line…when does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins [Former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan]: In a legal sense, when a public official breaches his duty for private gain, that’s where it crosses the line…I mean that’s what the 7th circuit--
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Jeff Berkowitz: I mean if I come in, just hypothetically, and I am a congressman and I say to Rod Blagojevich, when he was Governor, “Well, I am certainly interested in this and I think we can raise money for you when it comes time for your re-election and Rod says that’s fine and he talks more about it and the Congressman also says, “It would be great to be considered …for the Senate Seat because I have all these attributes that you want.” And, they walk out. Has the law been violated?
Patrick Collins: You know, that’s a gray area and I hesitate not because I am afraid to answer a tough question but I think that’s a gray area. I think there is stuff that goes on in politics all the time where big campaign contributors are rewarded. A big question legally is, you know, was that a quid pro quo and was it discussed sort of contemporaneously. If I raise the money and then I come back and I see a list of my fundraisers… and I start rewarding them, that’s not a crime…the real practical point here, Jeff- when you’re on tape saying I have something that is golden and I’m going to barter for it, that’s quid pro quo sort of language—
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This week's Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice The Chicago Metro Suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below. The show was recorded on Sunday, December 6, 2009.
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You can soon watch here the show w/ Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan .
****************************************
Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice, debates and discusses a broad range of public corruption, campaign finance reform and other public policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz on this week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs.” Topics discussed include a slush fund for the legislative leaders, the way politics works and quid pro quos; is Patrick Fitzgerald criminalizing politics; 21st Century public corruption--buying a politician over time? The licenses for sale criminal enterprise in the Secretary of State’s office and the death of the Willis family children; Did Rod Blagojevitch “take it up a notch” relative to Gov. Ryan? Gray areas in public corruption? 35 years of campaign finance reform in the federal areas, did it work? Did LBJ not seek re-election as President in 1968 because we did not have campaign finance reform at that time? Did the Vietnam War come to an end in 1975 because we did not have campaign finance reform in 1968? Is President Obama the poster guy for those who oppose public financing of elections? Will Patrick Collins run for Governor some day? If he does, will it be as a Republican or Democrat? Does Patrick Collins oppose the so-called campaign finance reform legislation that passed the General Assembly in late October, 2009? Did Cindy Canary and Change Illinois support that legislation? Why?
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The Illinois Legislative Leaders’ slush fund
Jeff Berkowitz: …Patrick Collins [you were]… Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission, there are four legislative leaders- Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton …and then the Republicans, Minority Leaders Cross and Radogno, it is said [by AP] that they have a slush fund of 25 million dollars to elect members to the State House and State Senate [and Statewide offices]. Is that an accurate statement?
Patrick Collins: I don’t know if they’ve ever said they have a slush fund—
Jeff Berkowitz: No, it is said. Would you say that they have a slush fund of $25 million to elect people and its going to be unlimited [as to how much can be given to individual candidates] because well, you can tell us why, but do they have a slush fund of $25 million?
Patrick Collins: Slush fund is obviously a pejorative term. They clearly have a fund to elect the people they want to elect. If you want to call that a slush fund…
Jeff Berkowitz: Does that number sound right, total up to about $25 million dollars in an election year?
Patrick Collins: …I don’t know the specific number but they have a lot of money to elect people of their party
Jeff Berkowitz: …in a sense, you have become a student of politics while in the U. S. Attorney’s office… would that be fair to say?
Patrick Collins: I think that is a fair statement…
Jeff Berkowitz: You know something about how people get elected, money is important, right?
Patrick Collins: Money is the mother’s milk [of politics] and I think it is way too important if you talk about it just from a pure policy standpoint…
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How long can Patrick Fitzgerald continue as U. S. Attorney (N.D. IL)?
Patrick Collins: …I’m not trying to stop anything now. I’m just doing my job at Perkins Coie, but—
Jeff Berkowitz: But, if somebody offered you to become U. S. Attorney, you’d take that badge back in a heartbeat, right?
Patrick Collins: You know, I love my job right now. Pat Fitzgerald is a close friend. I’m not a politician. But, I’m going to avoid that question because-- that’s a great job, of course, but Pat’s doing a great job.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, he might tire of it at some point, he’s been there--
Patrick Collins: I don’t know
Jeff Berkowitz: It’s unprecedented to stay until a third [term], isn’t it?
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When does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins: …it’s criminal, it crosses the line and I think juries—
Jeff Berkowitz: When do you cross the line…when does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins: In a legal sense, when a public official breaches his duty for private gain, that’s where it crosses the line…I mean that’s what the 7th circuit--
Jeff Berkowitz: For private gain.
Patrick Collins: For private gain, for personal gain, for pecuniary interests, I mean we can use a lot of different terms—
Jeff Berkowitz: When there’s a quid pro quo?
Patrick Collins: Actually not, I think that’s a step further; it can be something short of a quid pro quo and I guess you know there is this “honest services.” statute that is under siege and next week’s Supreme Court is going to hear argument…21st century corruption is not quid pro quo corruption. It’s buying a public official over time and the Ryan case really was about Larry Warner, his close friend, over time, buying [Gov.] George Ryan, with a series of undisclosed financial benefits, never one for one; in other words, George Ryan giving out a contract and Larry Warner paying a bribe, which would be the quid pro quo but over a six, eight, ten year period…
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A Congressman, a Governor and a U. S. Senate Seat: a gray area?
Jeff Berkowitz: I mean if I come in just hypothetically and I am a congressman and I say to Rod Blagojevich, when he was Governor, “Well, I am certainly interested in this and I think we can raise money for you when it comes time for your re-election and Rod says that’s fine and he talks more about it and the Congressman also says, “It would be great to be considered …for the Senate Seat because I have all these attributes that you want.” And, they walk out. Has the law been violated?
Patrick Collins: You know, that’s a gray area and I hesitate not because I am afraid to answer a tough question but I think that’s a gray area. I think there is stuff that goes on in politics all the time where big campaign contributors are rewarded. A big question legally is, you know, was that a quid pro quo and was it discussed sort of contemporaneously. If I raise the money and then I come back and I see a list of my fundraisers… and I start rewarding them, that’s not a crime…the real practical point here, Jeff- when you’re on tape saying I have something that is golden and I’m going to barter for it, that’s quid pro quo sort of language—
Jeff Berkowitz: Which is what we’ve read in the papers that Rod Blagojevich has said, and maybe some of us have heard those tapes.
Patrick Collins: Correct, I haven ‘t heard them but maybe the thief who burglarized his office has…you know the words matter and the timing matters…I think there is an argument that [the Blagojevich] case is going to be not as easy as a lot of people think…
*************************************************************
The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring this week's guest-- Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice, airs :
tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
The Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," usually airs, as well, on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
Due to a transfer this month of control of broadcast facilities from Comcast to the Village of Highland Park for the above referenced ten suburbs, the airing of Public Affairs in those ten suburbs will cease for the month of December and will resume, on the same airing schedule, on January 4, 2010.
*************************************************************
The Public Affairs show, featuring Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, also will air on Monday night, Dec. 21, 2009, throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com.
****************************************
More than 116 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Our most recent shows w/ Democratic Primary U. S. Senate Candidate David Hoffman, 7th CD candidate Chicago Ald. Sharon Denise Dixon [24th Ward]and State Comptroller candidate Clint Krislov are now streaming.
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*******************************
Jeff Berkowitz: When do you cross the line…when does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins [Former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan]: In a legal sense, when a public official breaches his duty for private gain, that’s where it crosses the line…I mean that’s what the 7th circuit--
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: I mean if I come in, just hypothetically, and I am a congressman and I say to Rod Blagojevich, when he was Governor, “Well, I am certainly interested in this and I think we can raise money for you when it comes time for your re-election and Rod says that’s fine and he talks more about it and the Congressman also says, “It would be great to be considered …for the Senate Seat because I have all these attributes that you want.” And, they walk out. Has the law been violated?
Patrick Collins: You know, that’s a gray area and I hesitate not because I am afraid to answer a tough question but I think that’s a gray area. I think there is stuff that goes on in politics all the time where big campaign contributors are rewarded. A big question legally is, you know, was that a quid pro quo and was it discussed sort of contemporaneously. If I raise the money and then I come back and I see a list of my fundraisers… and I start rewarding them, that’s not a crime…the real practical point here, Jeff- when you’re on tape saying I have something that is golden and I’m going to barter for it, that’s quid pro quo sort of language—
********************************************************
This week's Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice The Chicago Metro Suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below. The show was recorded on Sunday, December 6, 2009.
********************************
You can soon watch here the show w/ Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan .
****************************************
Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice, debates and discusses a broad range of public corruption, campaign finance reform and other public policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz on this week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs.” Topics discussed include a slush fund for the legislative leaders, the way politics works and quid pro quos; is Patrick Fitzgerald criminalizing politics; 21st Century public corruption--buying a politician over time? The licenses for sale criminal enterprise in the Secretary of State’s office and the death of the Willis family children; Did Rod Blagojevitch “take it up a notch” relative to Gov. Ryan? Gray areas in public corruption? 35 years of campaign finance reform in the federal areas, did it work? Did LBJ not seek re-election as President in 1968 because we did not have campaign finance reform at that time? Did the Vietnam War come to an end in 1975 because we did not have campaign finance reform in 1968? Is President Obama the poster guy for those who oppose public financing of elections? Will Patrick Collins run for Governor some day? If he does, will it be as a Republican or Democrat? Does Patrick Collins oppose the so-called campaign finance reform legislation that passed the General Assembly in late October, 2009? Did Cindy Canary and Change Illinois support that legislation? Why?
**************************************
The Illinois Legislative Leaders’ slush fund
Jeff Berkowitz: …Patrick Collins [you were]… Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission, there are four legislative leaders- Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton …and then the Republicans, Minority Leaders Cross and Radogno, it is said [by AP] that they have a slush fund of 25 million dollars to elect members to the State House and State Senate [and Statewide offices]. Is that an accurate statement?
Patrick Collins: I don’t know if they’ve ever said they have a slush fund—
Jeff Berkowitz: No, it is said. Would you say that they have a slush fund of $25 million to elect people and its going to be unlimited [as to how much can be given to individual candidates] because well, you can tell us why, but do they have a slush fund of $25 million?
Patrick Collins: Slush fund is obviously a pejorative term. They clearly have a fund to elect the people they want to elect. If you want to call that a slush fund…
Jeff Berkowitz: Does that number sound right, total up to about $25 million dollars in an election year?
Patrick Collins: …I don’t know the specific number but they have a lot of money to elect people of their party
Jeff Berkowitz: …in a sense, you have become a student of politics while in the U. S. Attorney’s office… would that be fair to say?
Patrick Collins: I think that is a fair statement…
Jeff Berkowitz: You know something about how people get elected, money is important, right?
Patrick Collins: Money is the mother’s milk [of politics] and I think it is way too important if you talk about it just from a pure policy standpoint…
********************************************
How long can Patrick Fitzgerald continue as U. S. Attorney (N.D. IL)?
Patrick Collins: …I’m not trying to stop anything now. I’m just doing my job at Perkins Coie, but—
Jeff Berkowitz: But, if somebody offered you to become U. S. Attorney, you’d take that badge back in a heartbeat, right?
Patrick Collins: You know, I love my job right now. Pat Fitzgerald is a close friend. I’m not a politician. But, I’m going to avoid that question because-- that’s a great job, of course, but Pat’s doing a great job.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, he might tire of it at some point, he’s been there--
Patrick Collins: I don’t know
Jeff Berkowitz: It’s unprecedented to stay until a third [term], isn’t it?
**************************************************
When does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins: …it’s criminal, it crosses the line and I think juries—
Jeff Berkowitz: When do you cross the line…when does politics become criminal?
Patrick Collins: In a legal sense, when a public official breaches his duty for private gain, that’s where it crosses the line…I mean that’s what the 7th circuit--
Jeff Berkowitz: For private gain.
Patrick Collins: For private gain, for personal gain, for pecuniary interests, I mean we can use a lot of different terms—
Jeff Berkowitz: When there’s a quid pro quo?
Patrick Collins: Actually not, I think that’s a step further; it can be something short of a quid pro quo and I guess you know there is this “honest services.” statute that is under siege and next week’s Supreme Court is going to hear argument…21st century corruption is not quid pro quo corruption. It’s buying a public official over time and the Ryan case really was about Larry Warner, his close friend, over time, buying [Gov.] George Ryan, with a series of undisclosed financial benefits, never one for one; in other words, George Ryan giving out a contract and Larry Warner paying a bribe, which would be the quid pro quo but over a six, eight, ten year period…
**************************************************\
A Congressman, a Governor and a U. S. Senate Seat: a gray area?
Jeff Berkowitz: I mean if I come in just hypothetically and I am a congressman and I say to Rod Blagojevich, when he was Governor, “Well, I am certainly interested in this and I think we can raise money for you when it comes time for your re-election and Rod says that’s fine and he talks more about it and the Congressman also says, “It would be great to be considered …for the Senate Seat because I have all these attributes that you want.” And, they walk out. Has the law been violated?
Patrick Collins: You know, that’s a gray area and I hesitate not because I am afraid to answer a tough question but I think that’s a gray area. I think there is stuff that goes on in politics all the time where big campaign contributors are rewarded. A big question legally is, you know, was that a quid pro quo and was it discussed sort of contemporaneously. If I raise the money and then I come back and I see a list of my fundraisers… and I start rewarding them, that’s not a crime…the real practical point here, Jeff- when you’re on tape saying I have something that is golden and I’m going to barter for it, that’s quid pro quo sort of language—
Jeff Berkowitz: Which is what we’ve read in the papers that Rod Blagojevich has said, and maybe some of us have heard those tapes.
Patrick Collins: Correct, I haven ‘t heard them but maybe the thief who burglarized his office has…you know the words matter and the timing matters…I think there is an argument that [the Blagojevich] case is going to be not as easy as a lot of people think…
*************************************************************
The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring this week's guest-- Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, and currently Perkins Coie partner and head of that firm's Chicago Office Investigations and White Collar practice, airs :
tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
The Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," usually airs, as well, on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
Due to a transfer this month of control of broadcast facilities from Comcast to the Village of Highland Park for the above referenced ten suburbs, the airing of Public Affairs in those ten suburbs will cease for the month of December and will resume, on the same airing schedule, on January 4, 2010.
*************************************************************
The Public Affairs show, featuring Patrick Collins, former Illinois Reform Commission Chairman and lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gov. George Ryan, also will air on Monday night, Dec. 21, 2009, throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com.
****************************************
More than 116 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Our most recent shows w/ Democratic Primary U. S. Senate Candidate David Hoffman, 7th CD candidate Chicago Ald. Sharon Denise Dixon [24th Ward]and State Comptroller candidate Clint Krislov are now streaming.
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