Obama cleared the air on Rezko -- for now
Better late than never.
Barack Obama came home Friday and faced up to the questions about his friend Tony Rezko that he’s been ducking for more than a year.
I’m sure he’d disagree with the characterization he’s been ducking, but, either way, I don’t think anybody at this newspaper can make the claim any longer that he hasn’t answered our inquiries after an exhaustive 80-minute interview session Friday evening. I won’t.
He patiently took all comers, and, when it was over, the biggest outstanding question was why he hadn’t done so sooner.
Am I satisfied with all his answers, especially in relation to the house transaction about which I’ve been harping?
Not entirely. But, barring some new facts or information from some other source that would contradict him, I don’t know how much further we can push the issue.
We now have a fairly extensive account from Obama of his relationship with Rezko, including the house purchase.
To the extent there are still gaps in our understanding, those are mostly a product of not having heard directly from Rezko or from the family that sold them their properties, and I don’t know that we ever will.
On the central question: Did Obama do something improper in the purchase of the house?
I see no proof he did, other than that he had no business at all getting involved with Rezko in any personal financial transaction.
Obama has pretty much admitted as much from the time this story broke, but he offered a more expansive mea culpa this time around.
For many, the issue has been whether Obama improperly received a deal on his house by paying $300,000 less than the $1.95 million asking price, while Rezko paid the full $625,000 asking price for the adjoining lot — both purchases closing on the same day.
I’ve never contended he did, although I considered it a legitimate question until all the facts were known.
On Friday, Obama finally made available to us an e-mail exchange, previously provided to another news organization, in which the prior owner, Dr. Fred Wondisford, confirmed the Obama campaign’s assertion of certain facts, including that they didn’t give the senator and his wife any “discount” tied to Rezko’s lot purchase.
A bigger issue to me has always been whether Rezko purchased the lot as a favor to Obama with reassurances that he would develop — or not develop — the property in accordance with the senator’s wishes. A previous owner had wanted a multi-family development, which proved controversial in the neighborhood.
While acknowledging that he welcomed Rezko’s interest in the lot because he thought it would be easier to work with “somebody who I knew, a friend of mine” than with other possible owners, Obama said he always expected Rezko to build on the lot.
I’d still like to know how Rezko jumped in front of another developer who Obama says already had an option to purchase the lot for the same price.
Meetings don’t win immunity
Obama says he doesn’t know the answer but believes there was a “negotiation” of some sort between that individual and Rezko, who knew each other from previous dealings.
Because of the other potential buyer for the lot, Obama says he would have been able to buy the house even if Rezko wasn’t involved. I’d rather hear that from somebody besides Obama. The sellers had conditioned the house sale on both properties closing at the same time.
During the last year, Obama has used his cooperation with one news organization or another on the Rezko story to try to immunize himself from the inquiries of others. He should not be allowed to use his meeting with the Sun-Times — and a similar get-together at the Tribune — to wave off questions from others now about Rezko and the house.
One of the things we learned in the process of preparing to talk with Obama is that even the reporters and columnists at the Sun-Times have a difference of opinion as to the important avenues of inquiry in the Rezko story. The more minds, the better. Just the same, even if he holds a press conference, I doubt the others will get much further than we did.
Obama made the point that if this is the worst thing we can find about him after 12 years in Chicago politics, then he’s done pretty well.
Admitting he made a mistake with Rezko, Obama added: “Does it speak to a trend of mine? No.”
If I have detected any trend in this, it’s only that Obama can be too obstinate when he feels under attack.