Reporter's Notebook: Daley Defends Giannoulias

Mayor Daley Tuesday stood up for embattled Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias who is hearing rumblings that he should step aside because of his bank troubles.

When asked whether he agrees with those voice and thinks Giannoulias should step aside Daley said: "Why should he?"

"He went through the primary, he knew the difficulties, that's up to him to answer," Daley said.

"You forced one candidate out for Lt. Governor because you didn't like his profession or his personal life, so are we going to? It's interesting, really interesting how people go through a primary, and they have to step aside because we don't like what happened. Everybody knew that was happening to the bank, right? So why?"

Daley was on the defensive on another topic as well.

Reporters asked the mayor to respond to an allegation made in biographer Kitty Kelly's book about Chicago Icon Oprah Winfrey in which the city allegedly paid to pave a parking lot at Midway airport next to Oprah's private hangar.

"You're listening to gossip," Daley said. "[Kelly] needs publicity, she needs to sell books"

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