Former Blago spokeswomen fined for ethical lapse
SPRINGFIELD - Three former spokeswomen for Gov. Rod Blagojevich have been fined by a state ethics commission for creating on state time a news release touting Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2007.
Former communications director Abby Ottenhoff was fined $1,500. Former deputy governor Sheila Nix and former deputy communications director Rebecca Rausch were each fined $1,000.
The fines were levied by the state's Executive Ethics Commission for the three women's role in putting together and disseminating to media outlets a statement from Blagojevich that praised Obama's then-fledgling campaign. Ironically, all three testified they never discussed the release with the governor, though the statement in it is attributed to him
"On this historic day, I am pleased to join many Illinoisans who are excited and proud to support Senator Obama in his bid for the presidency. I know that Senator Obama will fight to make sure that working families have access to health care, good paying jobs, and opportunities to provide for their children. Senator Obama supports the very best of these Democratic values; they are values that he and I share, values I know he will fight for," says a Blagojevich statement in the Feb. 10, 2007, release.
The ethics commission ruled the news release was clearly intended to boost Obama's candidacy and therefore violated state laws prohibiting political work on state time.
The former spokeswomen had argued that the statement reflected the governor's support of Obama's policies and therefore was not a violation.
The commission disagreed.
"The prohibition of political activity would mean nothing if a state employee could use state time and equipment to support a political candidate as long as he or she made clear that the support was based on the candidate's priorities or policies," commissioners said in the ruling.
"A plain reading of each draft of the press release shows that it is to the benefit of and in furtherance of the candidacy of Barack Obama. As such, it constitutes prohibited political activity. And remains so even if, as all three testified, Governor Blagojevich did not like it that Barack Obama had passed him in his own quest to become president," commissioners said.
That final reference to Blagojevich's own desires for national office and disdain for Obama's skyrocketing political fortunes became well publicized in the fallout surrounding Blagojevich's December 2008 arrest and subsequent impeachment trial at the Capitol and removal from office. He currently awaits trial on federal corruption charges that include allegations he tried to profit from his ability to pick Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate upon Obama's election to the White House.
Matthew Ryan, the attorney representing the three women, provided a statement in response to the ruling.
"We are disappointed with the Executive Ethics Commission's decision and believe it does not reflect our clients' intentions or the reality of the historic circumstances that surrounded Illinois in early 2007," Ryan said.
"As the governor's front line in responding to the media, Ms. Nix, Ms. Ottenhoff and Ms. Rausch were fulfilling their official duties by preparing a formal response to dozens of press inquiries asking for the governor's reaction to Illinois Senator Barack Obama's intention to seek our nation's highest office. The statement they drafted closely reflects sentiments expressed by public officials throughout the state at the time, including Speaker Madigan in his address to the newly sworn-in General Assembly a few weeks earlier."
The women, who'd all left the Blagojevich administration by the time of his arrest, have not appealed the commission ruling.
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/blagoruling31.pdf">Executive Ethics Commission ruling against the three </a></li>
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