Photo Surfaces Showing Sen. Clinton Posing With Chicago Landlord Rezko
A photograph has surfaced that purports to show Hillary Clinton posing with Bill Clinton and Chicago landlord Tony Rezko.
The unsourced photo appeared Friday morning on DrudgeReport.com.
In a televised debate earlier this week, Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama in a heated exchange for engaging in a land deal with Rezko while Obama was in the Illinois legislature. Obama has severed ties with the businessman, who supported Obama’s campaigns earlier in his career.
Rezko is awaiting trial next month on federal corruption charges. He was indicted on fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering counts for allegedly plotting to get campaign money and payoffs from firms seeking to do business before two state boards.
Once that trial is behind him, the 53-year-old Rezko faces a separate federal charge of swindling the General Electric Capital Corp. out of $10 million in connection with the sale of pizza restaurants.
Clinton was confronted with the photo of her with Rezko during an interview on NBC News Friday.
She said she didn’t know the man, adding, “I probably have taken hundreds of thousands of pictures. … I wouldn’t know him if he walked in the door. I don’t have a 17-year-relationship with him,” alluding to Obama’s ties to Rezko.
Clinton — who was forced to sever ties with major Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu after it became known that Hsu was evading fraud charges — was asked if it was fair to attack Obama, knowing that Rezko had previously contributed to the Democratic party, and it’s impossible to completely vet all political contacts.
“There’s a big difference between standing somewhere taking a picture with someone you don’t know and haven’t seen since and having a relationship that, you know, the newspapers in Chicago have been exploring,” Clinton said.
Obama’s campaign reacted by claiming the photo proves Rezko’s prominent fundraising role for politicians across the board.
“The photo reflects the fact that Mr. Rezko was clearly involved in a wide range of fund raising for both Democrats and Republicans,” the campaign said in an initial statement.
Obama adviser David Axelrod chimed in, “If they are standing there beaming with Tony Rezko it means they knew who Tony Rezko was. He was a player, a prominent figure raising money and about town.”
Clinton’s campaign issued a statement via e-mail later Friday, with a number of links to Internet media sources that document Obama’s ties to Rezko.
“Tony Rezko has never contributed a dime to Hilary or Bill Clinton. They have no relationship with Tony Rezko,” Clinton spokesman Phil singer said. He also included a link to the political money-tracking site OpenSecrets.org, which indicates Rezko has not directly contributed to Clinton, at least as far back as 1990.
Singer then pointed to a number of stories describing Obama’s financial and political relationship with Rezko.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Liar Liar .. mud slinging Liar Liar what a waste
she seem to be Entitled to be President
as she was as Senator.. perhaps her husband
will get a public lap dance from a stripper that will
sure to get her President.. He cheated that’s how she became Senator
A great campaign slogan for the Clinton’s: Do as I say, not as I do.
vintage Clinton. Why can’t they just go AWAY??
the Clinton’s are dangerous to AMERICA
Anyone the new york times endorses is also a danger to our America
i put them in the same category as the A.C.L.U.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She’s Dirty
The Clintons smear attacks and distortions is going to come back to them
either as we now see a gathering momentum coming from all over. There is now a
slow but continuous drip on their dysfunctional persona that will become a
tsunami and swept them out to oblivion. NBC just showed a picture of Rezko
posing between the Clintons and she has the audacity to call him a slumlord
supporter of Barack. This is a very powerful image that can be use with HIll’s
own word to attack her. No amount of dismissal can clean up their dirty
reputation when all their shady supporters are lined up posing with the
Clintons. Adding a YouTube video of the wagging finger and his own words
spliced together “I did not have sex with that woman … Hillary” would be a
big hit that will be repeated over late night shows. The Clintons may survived
it, but would make any restoration futile as voters are reminded of how divided
we’ve become as a result of them !
On Hill’s attack of Barack’s Reagan’s era comment, she is actually telling
the world that she is a stupid woman herself for actually praising Reagan
herself. Hill has the tendency to grab airtime from rivals and future host of
debates should have a switch to shut off offending party’s microphone. That
should be a lesson that can be captured and posted on YouTube ! She is so power
hungry that will resort to grabbing anything, including hays !
OH, HILLARY! Not only you but Bill, too. Just goes to show you can’t trust a Clinton to tell the truth.
She is a threat and thus has become a target. Go Hillary!
Silence from the Ditto Heads….Show me the pictures….
Thats so low, anyone can see it’s a cut and paste