Blagojevich Makes New York Times

And in a way that hints at pay-to-play.

Posted on its web site Thursday night, the New York Time article is entitled,

Now a Lobbyist, Ex-Senator Uses Campaign Money

Former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli (D-New Jersey) "abruptly quit the 2002 race amid allegations of ethical misconduct and became a lobbyist," according to the article.

A $10,000 campaign contribution merited a couple of paragraphs in the article:

On Oct. 29, 2003, Governor Blagojevich of Illinois made a fund-raising trip to New York and had a private meeting with Mr. Torricelli and Leonard Barrack, whose law firm, Barrack, Rodos & Bacine, had hired the former senator as a consultant, according to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Five days after the meeting, Mr. Torricelli and the firm itself each gave $10,000 to Mr. Blagojevich’s reelection campaign account, according to campaign disclosure reports. (Mr. Torricelli drew on his Senate campaign account for his donation.)

On Feb. 20, 2004, the law firm was placed on the Illinois State Teachers Retirement System’s list of preferred outside attorneys, according to a spokeswoman for the state fund.

The retirement system’s board of trustees decides who is placed on that list, not the governor. But the governor appoints 4 of the 11 members of the board.

First posted on McHenry County Blog.