From the Sun-Times:

Gov denies pay-for-play bid on N.Y. fund-raising trip
Foe calls flight the 'Shakedown Shuttle'

October 26, 2006
BY CHRIS FUSCO AND SCOTT FORNEK Staff Reporters
Gov. Blagojevich remembers political insider Stuart Levine spilling a cup of coffee on him during a New York fund-raising trip that is under federal scrutiny, but insists Levine spilled nothing about any illegal scheme to trade government business for campaign cash.

"That's ridiculous," Blagojevich said Wednesday. "Absolutely not. Of course not."

The Democratic governor spoke for the first time in detail about the 2003 trip as supporters of his GOP rival, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, said an itinerary shows Blagojevich illegally mixed government and political fund-raising.

The itinerary lists meetings at New York's Harvard Club between Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk, top Blagojevich fund-raiser Christopher G. Kelly and representatives of two companies. Those firms, Maximus Inc. and Wexford Health Sources, do millions of dollars in state business each year. Each also has contributed five-figure sums to Blagojevich.

Feds probing trips
The Chicago Sun-Times last month reported that the Oct. 29, 2003, trip -- plus another to the East Coast later -- are focuses of a federal pay-to-play probe of state government.

"The chief fund-raiser is meeting with people who are interested in government contracts along with a high-ranking member of the governor's staff," said Joe Birkett, DuPage County's state's attorney and GOP candidate for lieutenant governor. "You're setting the table to exchange your governmental decision-making in exchange for a political benefit."

Blagojevich campaign spokesman Doug Scofield dismissed the criticism. Kelly and Tusk, he said, never met with Wexford or Maximus -- despite what the "preliminary draft" schedule indicates.

"Bradley and Chris were not in any meetings together. I really have no idea why it would be that way on the schedule," Scofield said. "You have a schedule that looks like it's inaccurate in a number of ways."

Another inaccuracy is that the schedule shows Blagojevich flying with recently indicted fund-raiser Tony Rezko.

Rezko did not make the trip, however. Levine, whom Blagojevich reappointed to two state government boards, paid for the flight and also was aboard.

Levine is set to plead guilty Friday to corruption charges involving one of those panels on which he sat: the Teachers' Retirement System board. Prosecutors allege Rezko and Levine conspired to trade one teacher-pension investment deal for $1.5 million in contributions to Blagojevich.

Besides Blagojevich, Tusk, Kelly and Levine, the flight included prominent Democratic fund-raiser Joseph Cari, who pleaded guilty last year for his role in TRS corruption.

Topinka's campaign dubbed the flight the "Shakedown Shuttle," but the governor said it was nothing of the sort and insisted Levine has done more to support Republicans such as Birkett and Topinka than himself.

"I remember talking to Joe Cari about Al Gore," he said. "He was telling Al Gore stories and Tipper Gore stories and Hillary Clinton stories. And it was all very, kind of, light."

Blagojevich said he also talked to Levine about how he got involved in politics.