US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has distances himself from indicted donor, Tony Rezko. He said that he saw no indication of wrongdoing by the real estate developer.
Barack Obama had said that there were no indications of problems when he accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Tony Rezko, the indicted real estate developer and fast-food magnate. The connection was brought up by Hillary Clinton on Monday night’s debate on CNN after Obama brought up her former position as a lawyer for Wal-Mart.
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My relationship is he was somebody who I knew and had been a supporter for many years, he was somebody who had supported a wide range of candidates all throughout Illinois,” Obama said in an interview with CBS News’ The Early Show.
He added: “Nobody had an inkling that he was involved in any problems. When those problems were discovered, we returned the money from him that had been contributed.”
Obama said that it was also a mistake for him to have bought a strip of land from Rezko’s wife. The land adjoins the Obama residence. At the time, Rezko was being investigated by a grand jury.
“Everything was above board and there’s been no allegations that it wasn’t,” Obama said on the show.
“In terms of appearances, and I’ve already said this, that I should not have entered into any kind of agreement with him,” he added on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Rezko faces a trial on February 25. After that trial, Rezko faces a federal charge of swindling $10 million from General Electric.
So far, Obama’s name has not come up in any connection of the corruption charges revolving around Rezko.
