Rabbit Hole Runs Deep with Randy Richardville, Bob Ficano, and John Rakolta

This rabbit hole runs much deeper than most realize! John Rakolta is one of the "gang of four" wealthy and politically connected businessmen concoct an elaborate scheme, using their checkbooks and relationships, to secure a taxpayer-funded movie studio for their own personal financial gain.

Also allegedly involved are Alfred Taubman, Linden Nelson CEO of Raleigh Michigan Studios, and Ari Emanuel, who just happens to be the brother of former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who introduced his brother to Linden Nelson at political events. Since the movie credits and government funding for the studio were a product of an agreement between Governor Granholm and Rahm Emanuel -- both of whom would soon occupy different roles -- the deal had to include a “poison pill” such that any future governor would think twice about getting rid of the film credits and studio funding. The "poison pill" just happens to be Michigan's own Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville.

This is where it gets interesting. Richardville has been lobbied very hard by Nelson, Rakolta and the other partners. Richardville attended the Emmy’s on a trip arranged by Linden Nelson. He also went to a Red Wings game with Nelson in March. While the majority of Republican legislators oppose further funding of the film credits and are outraged by the way the studio was funded with taxpayer money, Richardville is susceptible to “wooing” and is behind the scenes trying to help Nelson and the Gang of Four. He accomplished this by deceiving his colleges on this issue of film producer subsidies and introducing legislation which passed. The film studio folks have hired a slew of lobbyists to cut a deal with Senator Richardville. John Rakolta is paying Scott Romney and the Honigman law firm substantial money to lobby Governor Snyder and the Republican State Senate.

This is the Republican strategy to keep this Democratic deal alive. Interesting information on John Rakolta Jr. is the CEO of Walbridge (formely known as Walbridge Aldinger). He was also one of the National Finance Chairs for Mitt Romney's 2008 Presidential Campaign. Rakolta's wife Terry Rakolta is the sister of Mitt's former sister-in-law Ronna Romney. He was offered the opportunity to be part of a consortium of five Detroit-area businessmen to provide a loan to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to convince him to resign so that the scandals he had created would end, but Rakolta declined before it actually happened, so the other four went on with it alone.

Besides his work for the Romney campaign in 2008, Rakolta was a major fundraiser for the Bush campaign in 2004. Most recently he was State Finance Chair for Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan. Rakolta's daughter Lauren Rakolta was also a major figure in Mitt Romney's campaign and previously had worked for Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts. She is currently the finance director for Rick Snyder's campaign to be governor of Michigan.