LaRouche: Hail, Hail! The Gangs All There!

The victory by Alex Giannoulias in the Feb. 2 Democratic primary election in the state of Illinois to fill the seat once held by Barack Obama, has placed the issue of the Obama's connection to Tony Rezko and the Chicago mob back on the table during the 2010 elections.

Alex Giannoulias, the current one-term Illinois State Treasurer, was the loan officer and vice president of his family-owned Broadway Bank. The Broadway Bank is known to have made loans to Tony Rezko and also to various mob clients. In the case of Tony Rezko, the convicted felon racked up $450,000 in gambling debts by writing bad checks on his Broadway Bank account. The bank also approved multi-million-dollar loans to Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a convicted bookmaker and prostitution ring promoter.

Giannoulias may also have been involved in helping Obama to obtain a sweetheart mortgage deal for the house he bought with the help of Rezko and his wife. Obama got a mortgage with a low interest rate from Northern Trust in response to a competitive mortgage rate offered to him by another bank. The other bank was never identified, but some have speculated that the other bank was Giannoulias's Broadway Bank.

Giannoulias contributed $7,000 to Obama's campaign for the Illinois State Senate seat in 2003 and 2004. According to Crain's Chicago Business, "Obama kept his 2004 Senate campaign funds" at Broadway Bank. Giannoulias has also served as the National Chairman of Greeks for Obama Committee.

Giannoulias won the election for State Treasurer of Illinois only after Obama endorsed him in opposition to several top Illinois Democrats, including the state's speaker of the House and party chairman, who refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama's help.

The National Republican Senate Campaign has already launched an ad campaign against Giannoulias entitled: "Alexi Giannoulias: He'd Make Tony Soprano Proud." NRSC Executive Director Rob Jesmer says: "What still remains to be seen is whether or not President Obama will campaign with Alexi Giannoulias, in spite of his ethical issues. With his limited and scandal-tinged background, it's clear that Giannoulias is just one more player in the culture of corruption that has plagued Illinois politics for far too long."