Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Lynn Sweet: Obama and His Taking Questions on Rezko

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By Lynn Sweet

Here what David Axelrod said on Sunday, during an interview on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

STEPHANOPOULOS: Before you go there, David, let me just follow up on one point, because Lynn Sweet writes in the Chicago Sun-Times, I believe it was yesterday, that in fact Senator Obama has not sat down with the Chicago reporters who are most familiar with the Rezko case. Is he willing to do that, or is Ms. Sweet wrong, in your opinion?

AXELROD: I think she is wrong. We've talked to reporters from -- and he's talked to reporters from both papers several times in several sessions about this, and each time the conclusion is the same: There's no evidence of any wrongdoing related to Mr. Rezko.

I showed the above to the reporters who cover the Rezko-Obama story.

For the record, here's what they said.

Sun-Times Reporter Tim Novak

"David Axelrod has never talked to me, Fusco or Mckinney about Obama. Neither has Obama. All we've gotten are responses to written questions, and who knows who actually answered those. And occassionally we talk to (Bill) Burton. But the point is that Obama himself has never sat down and discussed these questions about Rezko."

Sun-Times Reporter Chris Fusco

"Tim is absolutely right about that one."

Sun-Times Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney

"Well, I know Chris and I have never had a sit-down interview with Obama. Axelrod might be referring to the December 2006 Q and A, but as you know those were written questions and written responses. I believe Tim's experience was identical when he wrote about Rezko's slum properties. Axelrod would have been more accurate, perhaps, had he said today that Obama has "communicated" with reporters (through spokesmen and a Q and A). But he hasn't spoken to us directly about this. You are right. Axelrod is wrong."