News out of the Tony Rezko trial in Chicago where the long time patron and fund raiser for Barack Obama and current governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is in the dock on federal fraud charges. One of the key figures in the case, Ali Ata, has pleaded guilty in the "pay for play" scheme:A former high-ranking state official pleaded guilty Tuesday to lying to a federal agent when he denied receiving anything in return for political contributions to the campaign of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. The guilty plea by Ali Ata, former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, carries strong accusations against Mr. Blagojevich, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing but whose name and administration have surfaced repeatedly in a trial against a former fund-raiser, Antoin Rezko. Mr. Rezko is on trial here on federal charges of soliciting kickbacks from companies seeking business or regulatory approval from the state. As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Ata admitted to...(Read Full Post)