Its About to Get Ugly … Blagojevich Attorney Ed Genson Asks Illinois Panel to Subpoena Emanuel & Others … Texas Hold em, Chicago Style

Who will blink first? Oh that squeaky clean Chicago politics …

Welcome to Chicago politics. As the Gambler Kenny Rodgers sang,” know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run …

Welcome to Chicago politics, Its about to get really ugly in the high stakes game of Texas Holdem, “Chicago style”. Ed Genson, the attorney for embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment that they issue subpoenas to those individuals connected with the Blagogate, pay-for-play scandal, including Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, Obama friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett, and  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.).

An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff.

Ed Genson wants the committee to subpoena  Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), longtime Obama friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett, and  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie.

Currie, the head of the committee, said she did not yet know what the committee’s response to Genson’s request would be. Its next meeting is scheduled for Monday, she added.

Currie noted that the U.S. attorney’s office has already denied the panel’s request to interview a list of people named in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said earlier this week that lawmakers’ interviews of current or former members of Blagojevich’s staff might jeopardize his criminal investigation.

This of the coattails of the Obama Blagogate document dump prior to the Christmas holidays …Obama, 2 aides met with Blagojevich investigators.

President-elect Barack Obama and two of his top aides met last week with federal investigators building a corruption case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accused of trying to swap Obama’s Senate seat for cash or a lucrative job.

The interviews with Obama, along with incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and adviser Valerie Jarrett, were disclosed Tuesday in an internal report produced for Obama on contacts with Blagojevich. Obama delayed releasing his report until those interviews were completed with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s staff, incoming White House attorney Greg Craig said in the review he wrote for Obama.

As Hot Air aptly puts it, Blagojevich is playing a high stakes game of chicken. And RBO says, cheers, Subpoenas all around! This is going to get messy, messy, messy. The embarrass Obama campaign has begun.

Ed Genson has asked the legislative committee to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including incoming chief of staff Emanuel.

Obama aide talked with governor; no deal discussed

An internal review prepared for Barack Obama found his incoming chief of staff had multiple conversations with the Illinois governor’s office, but said the talks did not involve any deal concerning whom the governor would appoint to replace Obama in the Senate.