War Room - Salon.com

Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 15:55 EDT

Has Rezko started talking?

The real estate developer, who was closely tied to Barack Obama, was convicted this summer -- he's likely talking about other politicians, however.

By Alex Koppelman

There's no official confirmation yet, but there are some telltale signs to indicate that Antonin "Tony" Rezko, the real estate developer famous for being a supporter of and fundraiser for Barack Obama, is talking to prosecutors.

Rezko was convicted in a political corruption case this summer, and is currently awaiting sentencing. The delay in his sentencing has prompted speculation that he's in discussion with prosecutors, who would cut a deal with him -- a reduced sentence in exchange for information. That speculation, the Associated Press reports, is backed up by some real evidence of discussions between the two parties: "Attorneys say federal investigators have been questioning [Illinois Gov. Rod] Blagojevich contributions around the state using information that only Rezko could have supplied," the AP's Mike Robinson writes. "Finally, courthouse personnel requesting anonymity because grand jury probes are secret said Rezko has been repeatedly brought from his cell to the U.S. attorney's office to talk to prosecutors."

Cooperation from Rezko would be a real coup for the feds, as he ran in high-level circles politically. But their target does not appear to be Obama. Instead, it's another Democrat, Blagojevich. The office of U.S. attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who's famous for leading the prosecution of Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, is handling the case.