Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich bragged that the owner of the now-bankrupt Chicago Tribune agreed to fire top editorial writers in exchange for $100 million in state aid, according to an indictment released yesterday.
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The alleged quid pro quo was laid out in the 78-page corruption indictment of Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris.
Blagojevich was thrilled when Harris reported that the financial adviser to the Tribune Company, owned by Sam Zell, suggested that the ax would fall on his editorial critics.
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” Blagojevich responds. “Wow. OK. Keep your fingers crossed. You’re the man. Good job, John.”
One of the explosive allegations in the charges handed down by federal prosecutors is that Blagojevich threatened to withhold state aid to the Tribune Company unless it fired newspaper writers who penned stinging editorials about him, which included recommending impeachment.
The Tribune Company, which owns the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Times, just filed for bankruptcy protection.
The company sought the governor’s assistance for $100 million in tax relief as part of its efforts to sell Wrigley Field.
In a statement released yesterday, Tribune maintained none of its editorial staffers was fired because of Blagojevich.
Tribune Editor Gerould Kern said the current editorial page staffers have been in place since 2000. One staff member voluntarily left in November 2007.