Never Seen

On the heels of a blistering editorial by the Chicago Tribune this morning slamming Alexi Giannoulias' "damning non-denial about loans to criminals," the Kirk for Senate campaign released a new web video highlighting Giannoulias' now-infamous comment on Meet the Press that he "didn't know the extent" of the criminal activity of the mobsters who received loans from Broadway Bank. In addition, Congressman Mark Kirk urged Giannoulias to finally come clean about his visit to Miami in 2005 to meet with mobster Michael "Jaws" Giorango.

"If Alexi wasn't involved in these mobster loans, why did he travel to Miami to see Michael 'Jaws' Giorango?" Kirk said. "When did this visit take place, where did Alexi stay and what did Alexi and 'Jaws' talk? After four years of silence, the voters of Illinois deserve to know what happened in Miami once and for all."

In 2006, Giannoulias told the Chicago Tribune that he had traveled to Miami to inspect property the bank had financed for Giorango and met with him there. That property, the Lorraine Hotel, was at the center of Giorango's conviction for promoting a prostitution ring by encouraging prostitutes to work from the hotel and using the women to entertain and entice his business associates. According to the Tribune, Giannoulias declined to provide details of that meeting in Miami.

In today's editorial, the Chicago Tribune wrote: "Giannoulias tries to minimize the significance of all this, but there is no way to deny the central fact: While he was a loan officer at the family bank, the bank chose to lend money to known felons connected to organized crime. Maybe he didn't know the 'extent of their activity.' But a conscientious banker wouldn't have needed to."

http://j.mp/c2qmYB

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Mark Kirk
• Mark
• Kirk
• Alexi Giannoulias
• Alexi
• Giannoulias
• ilsen
• il-sen
• Illinois
• senate
• race
• election
• politics
• chicago
• campaign
• 2010
• senate election
• senate race
• senate 2010
• 2010 elections
• 2010 election
• 2010 Illinois
• mark kirk
• alexi giannoulias
• alexi
• giannoulias
• mark
• kirk
• meet the press