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.
It’s really unpleasant to accept that one of these two people could be leading the country soon.
Maybe now the country will see what a deceitful liar she is. God help us if she’s elected President of our great country.
I am from Arkansas and have met both Bill and Hillary. I can’t believe either one of them made it as far as they have being so evil. If the press would dig deeper they would find that that this little photo is just the tip of the iceburg. For an interesting view of the Clintons type in “The Mena Connection” into Google. The town I was raised in is very close to Mena and know people that worked within the airport. Just to let anyone know I am NOT a conspiracy theorist but this video brings to light just some of the bad things they are capable of.
When will America open it’s eyes? Talk with the people who know the President’s and their family’s the best. Talk to the U.S. Secret Service Officer and Agents. They are with the 1st family more than anyone. And when you do talk with them, as I have, be ready to be amazed at the person who now wants the Presidency….Hilary Clinton. She is a foul mouthed, egotistical, self servicing woman (sic) who cars nothing about the country, it’s people nor anything other than herself. She demeans those who work for or around her. She cusses like a sailor (sorry Navy) Also, if the U.S. Secret Service is not enough, talk with the men and women of the Arkansa State Police. They will tell you the same thing. So, I am amazed that the media does not tear her apart for her past. They will question Obama for his color, Romney for his faith or even something so benign as Edwards for his haircuts. Hello America….are you out there?
Hillary Clinton will say and do almost anything to get what she wants. She has quite a few skeletons in her closet. Wasn’t that dead man in a park in DC her lover at one time…what was his name? Vince Foster? We all need to be very careful who we vote for, our country is being sold out from underneath us… that is “the little people”. The taxpayers. The hardworking, not getting any richer, middle-class. These days without connections there is no golden parachutes or justice. What would Lincoln think if he saw us here today?
434Sylvia:
Obama never lied about it! He said he made a mistake. Remember “Idid not have sex with that woman!”
Why can’t Democrats wake up and see the Clinton’s for what they are-deceivers.
They had people killed in their administration, Bill lied under oath.
They stole things from the White House when they left, they tore up the Presidential
plane, and tax payers had to pay for their abuse.
They never tried to convict terrorist when they had them. They lied and stole
things their whole terms…
Shows the dishonesty that is rampant with the Clinton’s and always has been. She has a very convenient loss of memory when it suits her. So sad this nation even considers another embarassing tenure with any Clinton.
If the photograph is a fake, then I would imagine Mrs. Clinton would have offered that explanation. Granted, there’s no way she could remember every person she’s had a photo-op with, but given the amount of publicity this guy has gotten, I find it rather hard to believe that she “know him if he walked in the door.” Personally, I don’t think anyone looking at the photo from this website can say with any certainty whether it is fake or not. It’s so small and the quality is too low to really enlarge it enough to get a good look.
Bill Clinton lied to his wife, he lied to his daughter, and he lied to the American People. Do you think he would have any problem about lying about Barack Obama?
“I did not have sex with that woman.”