Afternoon Briefing: Dozens of supporters hail convicted ex-Ald. Edward Burke
Good afternoon, Chicago.
A flood of letters made public this week reinforced what nearly everyone in Chicago already knows: Ed Burke was an extremely powerful man. But in contrast to the sweeping corruption for which the ex-alderman was convicted last year, the supporters who wrote in hopes of a lenient sentence said, over and over, that Burke used his clout for good.
Among the dozens of letter-writers: high-profile names in local legal circles and law enforcement, Burke’s family members, a former defensive end for the Bears, and several local Catholic clergymen.
Burke, the longtime leader of the powerful City Council Finance Committee, is slated to be sentenced later this month after jurors found him guilty of scheming to use his considerable City Hall clout to try to win business for his private property tax law firm.
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