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The name of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert was added Monday to the roster of political heavyweights linked by witnesses to an alleged plan to dump Chicago's top federal prosecutor and kill a criminal investigation into a top fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
A witness at the corruption trial of Blagojevich insider Antoin "Tony" Rezko testified that Rezko told him in February 2005 about an effort under way to fire U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and replace him with someone more compliant to be hand-picked by Hastert, then the top Republican in the House.
Rezko said the Hastert designee would then "order the prosecutor to stop the investigation," recalled Elie Maloof, a former Rezko business associate who also testified that Rezko had told him to keep Rezko's name to himself if he were questioned by authorities because it could damage Blagojevich.
Hastert spokesman Brad Hahn said the accusation that Hastert might be in on a scheme came "out of left field" and was without basis.
"We can't begin to speculate on where this comes from or what is being suggested," said Hahn.
Hastert retired from the House last year and is currently traveling the state at the behest of Blagojevich to drum up support for a $25 billion public works program the governor has proposed.
Prosecutors presented Maloof's testimony as an appetizer for an expected appearance on the stand later this week by Ali Ata, installed by Rezko as the $127,000 executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority.
Last week, Ata pleaded guilty to Rezko-related corruption and in doing so claimed that Rezko confided to him in November 2004 - three months before the alleged Maloof conversation - the outlines of a scheme to pull strings with Bush White House political guru Karl Rove to have Fitzgerald removed.
The plan was to have Rove leaned on by his former college roommate and longtime friend Robert Kjellander, Illinois' Republican national committeeman, Ata said. Both Kjellander and a lawyer for Rove have denied any knowledge of such a plot.
Despite his party affiliation, Kjellander developed close ties with the Blagojevich administration and Rezko in particular following the Democratic governor's election in 2002. Kjellander earned an $809,000 commission off a major bond deal floated by Blagojevich in the early days of his administration.
In court papers, prosecutors have alleged that a sizable chunk of the Kjellander money was kicked back to Rezko through a convoluted money trail that involved Rezko business associates. Kjellander has denied involvement in any kickback scheme.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve has barred testimony about Kjellander's commission at Rezko's trial, ruling that it would only confuse jurors.
Prosecutors also chose to streamline Maloof's testimony by not eliciting testimony that Maloof made straw political donations on Rezko's behalf.
In a ruling earlier this spring, St. Eve noted that it was the government's position that Rezko business associate Joseph Aramanda and Maloof made contributions to a political candidate on Rezko's behalf because he had already contributed the maximum amount allowable by law. Records show Maloof made a $10,000 donation to Barack Obama when Obama was running for U.S. Senate.
The Obama campaign has returned that donation and an identical one contributed by Aramanda.
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