Records show Tribune lobbied Blagojevich
By The Associated Press
CHICAGO – Tribune Co. was secretly negotiating with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich on a deal in which the state would buy Wrigley Field even as federal investigators were closing in on him in a corruption probe, state records show.
E-mails, phone logs and calendars released to the Chicago Tribune show ongoing talks between the Tribune Co., which owns Wrigley and the Cubs, and the now-impeached governor’s administration beginning at least last summer.
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on a criminal complaint alleging that he tried to pressure Tribune Co. to fire editorial writers at the Chicago Tribune who were critical of the governor. In exchange, the struggling company would get state assistance through the Illinois Finance Authority in connection with the possible sale of Wrigley.
– The Associated Press
