Ald. Richard Mell might break silence to defend daughter Patti Blagojevich
Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), estranged father-in-law of Gov. Blagojevich, said Wednesday he might break his self-imposed silence to rise to the defense of his daughter.
One day after Patti Blagojevich was portrayed in federal wiretaps as a foul-mouthed enabler of her allegedly corrupt husband, Mell was on the verge of following his heart.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times file)
I'm thinking about doing a news conference defending Patti, Mell told the Chicago Sun-Times.
I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to say. But I'll let you know if I'm going to do it. Right now, I'm at a breakfast and can't talk. I'll call you back.
It's not clear what Mell could say to explain away his daughter's behavior. She is heard on federal wiretaps participating in backroom calls with her husband on how to leverage his political position into a high-paying job for her, according to the federal complaint filed against Blagojevich.
Patti Blagojevich was also secretly recorded directing a deputy governor speaking with her husband to hold up that f---ing Cubs s---. F--- them.
The first lady of Illinois was referring to alleged threats by Blagovich and a top aide to withold support for transferring Wrigley Field to the Illinois Finance Authority, a tax-avoidance plan that would save bankrupt Tribune Co. at least $100 million.
The fact that Mell is even contemplating defending his daughter in public was a bit of a surprise, considering their bitter family feud.
In 2005, Mell went on a tirade after Blagojevich's aides publicly linked him to a Joliet landfill that was shut down amid environmental violations. The landfill was owned by a second cousin of Patti. The governor said he wouldn't let family ties stand in the way of him upholding state law.
Mell told the Sun-Times he regretted the day he backed Blagojevich for governor and hoped that his daughter who had "blinders on" with regard to her husband would "wake up someday." Then,he dropped a bombshell when he talked about being displaced by the governor's chief fundraiser.
"When we first started raising money, we would come to your house and have dinner with you and your family. We'd paint your kid's bedroom and wash your dog for a $2,000 donation. And we did that constantly for a year. Now, he raises $50,000 at a crack from his ace fund-raiser, Chris Kelly, who trades appointments to commissions for checks of $50,000, the alderman said then.
Mell later recanted the charges under threat of a lawsuit. But the damage was done.
Illinois' divided first family tried to bury the hatchet in December, 2006 after the death of Mell's wife. But it wasn't long before Blagojevich and Mell were at each other's throats once again.
Right after Margie passed away, they had meetings. They had dinner. There was an absolute commitment to put past differences aside for the good of the family, said a source familiar with the feud.
Then, Patti kind of broke the truce. Rod kept having problems and moments with [Mell] and she just went with her husband. After that, Dick didn't get to see the grandchildren. He was very upset. The grandchildren were very important to him.
The source added, I don't think he cares a bit about what happens to Rod. But, he cares a lot about his daughter and grandchildren. This is not a time for feeling vindicated. He just feels horribly sad.