Tom Balanoff, the president of the Illinois Council of the Service Employees International Union, testified that he was sanctioned by Barack Obama‘s presidential transition team to talk to Rod Blagojevich about Obama’s Senate seat.
“I wasn’t freelancing,” Balanoff told the jury Tuesday before lunch. “I had clearance to come and talk to [Blagojevich] about this.”
Balanoff said that on the eve of the 2008 general election received a call from Obama while at dinner at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago with other SEIU officials, including then-president Andy Stern.
Balanoff testified that Obama called again while he was stopped at a gas station to discuss the Senate seat. “I think there’s a number of good candidates for this but I’m not going to support anyone,” Balanoff said Obama told him. He said the President had articulated only two criteria for the selection: that the appointee would be good for the people of Illinois, and strong enough to hold onto the seat in 2010.
Balanoff says he met with Rod Blagojevich about the seat and submitted U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky as his favored candidate, but Blagojevich made it clear he was not inclined to pick her. Balanoff says he then brought up Valerie Jarrett, and both he and Blagojevich agreed she’d make a good senator. Both also agreed that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. would not be a good candidate.
Balanoff testified that in a post-election conversation with Blagojevich on Nov. 6, 2008, he told the governor that he had been sent by the Obama team as an emissary to discuss the seat.
Balanoff explained to the jury that in this capacity as a go-between he was there to advocate for the appointment of Jarrett. Balanoff said Blagojevich told him he agreed that Jarrett was qualified and would be a good pick but that he was in “active discussions” with the Madigans and was seriously considering appointing Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Balanoff said Blagojevich told him that he likes being governor but he couldn’t get anything done in Illinois anymore. Blagojevich said his passion was healthcare and broached the idea of a cabinet position in an Obama administration, Balanoff said.
Balanoff testified that he believed from those comments that Blagojevich was establishing a trade-off for the seat. He said he told Blagojevich that he would go back and talk to Jarrett and wanted to set up another get-together in a few days.
Balanoff says he asked Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to put him in touch with Valerie Jarrett. On Sunday, Giannoulias told reporters that he had been subpoenaed by the defense, and explained his role in Balanoff in contact with Jarrett.
Balanoff said he met with Giannoulias and Jarrett on Nov. 7 at Obama’s transition office in Chicago. During that meeting, Balanoff told Jarrett that he had brought her name up to Blagojevich and that the then-governor said he was in discussions with Madigan. Jarrett conveyed that she didn’t really have the time to wait. When Balanoff said he mentioned the governor’s hope to be appointed Health and Human Services Secretary, they both “laughed” at the idea.