U.S. Taxpayers Pay Dearly For Patrick Fitzgerald's Cover Up Of Obama's Role In Operation Board Games

Operation Board Games was the federal investigation launched by former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of allegations of fraud, bribery and extortion taking place in Illinois state government involving the selling of appointments to state boards and commissions and decisions made by those bodies. Fitzgerald had former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrested after obtaining convictions against one of Barack Obama's closest friends and political supporters, Tony Rezko, and made sure Obama got tipped off that his office was secretly recording conversations with him and his staff discussing with Blagojevich the sale of Obama's senate seat. Before Blagojevich received a trial, the Illinois General Assembly conducted the most rapid impeachment proceeding in the state's history to get rid of him in time for Obama to be sworn in as the nation's president. Despite overwhelming evidence Fitzgerald's office had of Obama's involvement in the scheme that led to convictions against Blagojevich, Rezko and more than a dozen others, Fitzgerald refused to investigate Obama's criminal wrongdoing. His office went out of its way to admonish witnesses not to discuss anything criminal Obama had done, including accepting $400,000 in cash from Rezko and using Rezko to help purchase his and Michelle's mansion on Chicago's southside. So why should we not be surprised to learn that Obama's top campaign bundlers were the recipients of appointments to federal boards and commissions and millions of dollars in public handouts? From Breitbart:

An investigation by the Government Accountability Institute found that more than half of the most politically active 50 campaign bundlers for President Obama were either appointed to a presidential council, committee, board, or other White House post. Many bundlers’ businesses or relatives' businesses also received millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded federal contracts, grants, loans, or other crony perks.

In all, the top 50 bundlers received three council appointments, one ambassadorship, two committee appointments, and a whopping 20 State Dinner invitations. Two bundlers were also placed on a presidential board, and another two were picked for other White House posts.

Bundling campaign donations for Mr. Obama can produce a lucrative return on “investment” in the form of crony deals. For example, one of the president’s biggest bundlers, Penny Pritzker, is the national co-chair of Obama for America 2012 and was a member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Mrs. Pritzker has bundled at least $904,957 for Mr. Obama. A former board member of the Marmon Group, the Pritzker family owns as much as 40% of Marmon while Berkshire Hathaway owns the rest. Marmon and Berkshire own IMPulse, a transit-manufacturing firm, located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. IMPulse received or directed numerous construction projects that received millions in taxpayer-funded stimulus money. Among others, those projects include:

A $485.8 million contract that was awarded for the extension of the Metro Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa

A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) infrastructure project worth $67 million in ARRA funds

The Portland streetcar eastside loop which received $75 million in funds

The value of the projects that IMPulse Manufacturing received total nearly $1 billion in American Recovery Reinvestment Act funding.

Bundling campaign donations for Mr. Obama can produce a lucrative return on “investment” in the form of crony deals. For example, one of the president’s biggest bundlers, Penny Pritzker, is the national co-chair of Obama for America 2012 and was a member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Mrs. Pritzker has bundled at least $904,957 for Mr. Obama. A former board member of the Marmon Group, the Pritzker family owns as much as 40% of Marmon while Berkshire Hathaway owns the rest. Marmon and Berkshire own IMPulse, a transit-manufacturing firm, located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. IMPulse received or directed numerous construction projects that received millions in taxpayer-funded stimulus money. Among others, those projects include:

A $485.8 million contract that was awarded for the extension of the Metro Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa

A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) infrastructure project worth $67 million in ARRA funds

The Portland streetcar eastside loop which received $75 million in funds

The value of the projects that IMPulse Manufacturing received total nearly $1 billion in American Recovery Reinvestment Act funding.

What's more, Nicholas Pritzker is chairman of the board and senior development adviser of the Pritzker family-owned Hyatt Hotels Corp. He invested an unspecified amount in Tesla Motors, the electric car company that received a $465 million interest-bearing loan from the DOE.

Another Obama bundler who has seemingly gained from his presidential fundraising is Richard Richman, chairman of the Richman Group. In September 2010, the Richmans held a $30,000 a plate fundraising dinner for Obama in their 20-acre estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. They also donated $50,000 to Obama's inaugural. In total, the Richmans have bundled $1,073,750 for Mr. Obama.

And what did they get in return for their fundraising efforts? Richman Group’s Balton-Douglass Park--a $100 million mixed use, mixed income development which will hold 226 apartments in central Harlem--received a $21 million subsidy through the stimulus.

Ellen Richman is listed five times as a visitor in the White House visitors database, and Richard Richman is listed four times since December 2009. They also attended the March 14, 2012 State Dinner.

Mark Gallogly also came up a big winner in the Obama bundler-a-thon. In total, Mr. Gallogly has bundled $903,834 for Mr. Obama. Gallogly serves on the board of Dana Holdings Corp., a manufacturer of drivetrains and other industrial parts. Until earlier this year, Dana Holdings was heavily involved in a joint venture with Eaton Corp., another manufacturer who received numerous stimulus grants, on a line of products known as Roadranger. Roadranger received $3.1 million in stimulus funds for a line of plug in vehicles. Additionally, Dana Holdings supplies parts for Tesla Motors, which received a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy.

Gallogly was appointed to the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and has visited the White House 39 times.

So by all means please extend your thanks to Patrick Fitzgerald for making it possible for the most corrupt people in Chicago politics to seize the reins of the U.S. government and proceed to steal billions of your tax dollars for themselves and their political cronies. Fitzgerald's Operation Board Games prosecutions were small-time stuff compared to the criminal activity that's been taking place at the Obama White House on a daily basis for the past four years. Old habits die hard, word is that Penny Pritzker is organizing an effort to purchase a $35 million ocean-front home for Barack and Michelle in Hawaii. It seems crime is bad in Obama's old neighborhood and that $2.5 million mansion just won't cut it for the King and Queen. If the American people are stupid enough to re-elect this corrupt bastard to another four-year term, our country will deserve to wind up on the ash heap of history like the Roman Empire.