Indictment Watch - Day One
Thursday, Apr 2, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’re going to be on full readiness alert today and tomorrow…
Facing a deadline just days away, federal prosecutors are expected to unveil an indictment as early as Thursday charging ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich with presiding over state government awash in political corruption.
U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald has until Tuesday to produce a grand jury indictment that would replace a complaint charging the former governor with plotting to trade or sell President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat and a host of other corruption.
While the government never announces the time and place of grand jury meetings, Thursday is believed to be the last meeting before the deadline.
Fitzgerald could ask Chief Judge James F. Holderman of U.S. District Court for another deadline extension. But all signs point to an imminent indictment against the 52-year-old impeached governor.
Word is that staff was working fairly late last night, but they’re usually pretty busy over there. Still, it’ll take a lot of work to prepare a kabillion-page indictment. I’m figuring it’ll make War and Peace look like a novella.
* Mrs. Blagojevich will likely be on the hot seat…
“The scuttlebutt is that the investigation is centering more on [Patti Blagojevich’s] real estate business than anything having to do with her husband as governor of Illinois,” Kling said.
A source tells CBS 2 Patti’s indictment “is not a slam dunk, just 50-50.” The source says U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has spent a lot of time lately putting people before the grand jury regarding Patti Blagojevich’s activities.
She is expected to be named in the indictment, probably in alphabetical fed-speak, like “Spouse A,” perhaps as a shot across the former governor’s bow to cooperate and not go to trial. But will that work?
Indicting both parents could trigger an outpouring of sympathy for the couple’s two daughters - balanced against the outrage touched off by those tapes.
“That could offend a lot of people which would overcome that sympathy factor,” Miller said.
Maybe. Then again, the media has universally portrayed Mrs. Blagojevich as a foul-mouthed ogre, so there may not be much sympathy out there.
* I thought you went to Disney World after winning something big, like the World Series or the Super Bowl. I never heard of going there on indictment day…
With a federal indictment looming in his home state, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appears to be at Walt Disney World.
Blagojevich and his family apparently were staying at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
A phone call connected by a hotel operator to a room booked under Blagojevich’s name went straight to voicemail. A message left Thursday wasn’t immediately returned.
Publicist Glenn Selig says Blagojevich isn’t in Chicago and won’t say when he’ll return.
I wonder if he’ll be able to blog from there. I’m pretty sure they’ll have WiFi available in the hotel room.
* Related…
* Blagojevich in, Lincoln out: Newspaper ‘honors’ Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan
- bored now - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:37 am:
wow, for someone who claims he has no money, that’s a pretty sweet vacation he’s on! during spring break, wdw is full price. that’s a large bit of coin he’s spending right now…
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:40 am:
Did Alderman Mell go to Florida also?
- Concerned Observer - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:41 am:
Maybe he’s secretly a Disney Vacation Club member and is using those points. Then he can re-sell his timeshare for profit!
Also, he’d have to pay to access wi-fi there, unless he’s a DVC member, if memory serves. Are you footing that $10/day charge, Rich?
- Hank - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:43 am:
Who will get the scoop?
Capfax or Sneed
Stay tuned LOL
- Secret Square - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:43 am:
Bored, I seem to recall Disney World advertising “affordable” family vacation packages priced as low as $1,500 for a family of four for 3 days and 2 nights, or something like that. (Well, that’s still not affordable for me but for someone like Blago, after his alleged six-figure book deal, it might be.) Of course “some restrictions may apply” especially during holiday periods like Easter/spring break. To tell you the truth, I don’t blame him for doing this, since it could be his family’s last chance to enjoy a vacation together for a long, long time.
- Concerned Observer - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:46 am:
They’ve been running a “buy 4, get 3″ deal…so he’s probably there for the week.
- Amy - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:49 am:
i’d take my kids away if i were him too. we certainly don’t like or respect him as a political personage, but it is best for the kids to get them out of here. i feel badly for those little girls.
- Justice - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:53 am:
He’s in Disney World because Bozo The Clown show is no longer on the air! Likely that a Fed dressed up as Goofy will serve him the Indictment and arrest him on the spot.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:55 am:
I agree with Amy on the kids.
And in the when will we ever learn department, other than a lot of promises has anything changed yet in state government. Thousands of Blago hacks remain in their cushy state jobs, even ones whose jobs aren’t protected by civil service. Blago proteges Filan and Ostro are running Quinn’s budget. Corporate interests and employee unions are busy trying to get out from under a tax increase (and making the necessary “contributions” no doubt). Money still talks in the legislature and in the executive suite. A little more discretion maybe, but money still talks.
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:57 am:
If it’s a choice between spending the money on vacation with family or legal fees, I think Blagojevich made the right choice.
The lawyers will get theirs.
This Disney trip with give the girls something to discuss with their therapists when they get older.
- Leave a light on George - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 9:59 am:
“Thousands of Blago hacks remain in their cushy state jobs, even ones whose jobs aren’t protected by civil service.”
I don’t agree with you often Cassie but you got this one right.
- Speaking at Will - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:02 am:
I get the visual image of Blago pumping up a raft by hand and shoving off for Cuba.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:02 am:
“Tollway Joe,” that was really uncalled for. Do something like that again here and you’re banned forever.
- Levois - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:02 am:
You were serious!
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:04 am:
Also, everyone else should calm down. Try to take some of the heat out of your rhetoric, please.
- 2ConfusedCrew - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:11 am:
This should give all the Chicago sad sacks an excuse to jet down to Orlando for “coverage”
- oneman - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:15 am:
Can’t fault him for taking the trip
- Anon - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:16 am:
No press conference? What is the world coming to when our Lord Protector can’t trumpet his own doings? Fallout from his last Blagojevich-inspired performance?
- Justice - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:23 am:
Is there any time frame for serving an indictment once it has been issued? Should the Feds wait till Blago returns home from the trip in order to avoid the “heartless act” coverage? This is a good play for Blago in order to get even greater national coverage by the “heartless Feds arresting him when he, as a loving father, is with his children on the American dream vacation at Disney World no less.” Pretty slick! But no doubt they have plenty of others to go after in the mean time. Next week is soon enough.
- Zora - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:23 am:
With any luck, Disney World will cocoon his kids in fun and white noise that screen out the media frenzy that will follow an indictment.
And with further luck, by the time they return, the media coverage will feel like more of the same.
At this point, we’re conditioned to view his every action as further evidence of his pugilistic and callous narcissism. Even if this is another instance of his peculiar personality, at least it is one that helps his kids. Thank goodness for that.
- I'm not saying, I'm just saying - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:24 am:
The best and funniest and cleanest is this
from my Buddy Rick
Rick Veenstra
today the faithful are in the plaza by the Dirksen Bldg looking for the white smoke to rise from the chimney signaling an indictment of another governor.
- Hair today, gone.... - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:26 am:
Ch. 9 news this morning had a picture of a couple who ran into Rod in Disney. He was posing with the couple, the ususal cheesey smile.
- Secret Square - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:37 am:
He won’t be arrested today. Fitz’s office has already stated that no court appearances have been scheduled at this time.
My journalistic experience with criminal cases was limited, but I do NOT recall a single instance in which a defendant was arrested or brought into court on the day of the indictment. The formal arraignment always comes later.
- Hank - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:48 am:
Reports from Orlando that Rod was overheard complaining to the seven dwarfs that he was not allowed to call witnesses and was impeached for giving healthcare to people wearing silly costumes
- bored now - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 10:58 am:
Secret Square, you’re probably thinking of winter vacations at disney world. winter (jan-feb) would be the slow season. but spring break (mar-easter) is full tilt boogie and one of the busiest season of their magical year.
*sigh* couldn’t resist. but i have family members who are disney addicts (seriously), and one of them even works there now. probably the best thing about living here instead of florida is that i don’t have to endure the relentless pressure to like wdw…
- Secret Square - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 11:48 am:
Regarding the “white smoke in the plaza” analogy: in Italy the expression “every time a pope dies” is used to indicate something that happens very infrequently, sort of like we would say “once in a blue moon.” In Illinois, however, we could use the expression “every time a governor gets indicted” to indicate something that happens on a regular basis!
- Gregor - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 12:48 pm:
The press should leave the Blago family in peace until they get back from this trip. It’s going to be the last semi-normal, all-family thing they do with their daughters for a long while, we should be humane about this. Plenty of time to roast the parents later in Chicago, let’s not ruin the little girl’s vacation memories.
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 3:57 pm:
===It’s going to be the last semi-normal…thing they do===
I appreciate your sentiments but I believe his brother is going to meet him at Disney also. If the feds pull off a trio of indictments that is going to be the most abnormal Disney vacation in the history of Disney vacations. Another words, it won’t make any of their travel brochures about how to relieve the stress of indictment.
- Proud Goo-Goo - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 4:23 pm:
It’s almost 4:30, where the heck is the indictment?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 4:30 pm:
Patience, please.
- Proud Goo-Goo - Thursday, Apr 2, 09 @ 4:43 pm:
Sorry, friend. I’ve been waiting for this for years and am kind of running out of patience this afternoon. The impeachment was nice, but messy and mishandled. I’m looking for something more crisp and direct.
Then Daley.
- Tollway Joe - Friday, Apr 3, 09 @ 9:12 am:
Rich,
You print a story saying exactly where Blago was staying, and yet and you think I went over the line?
Please explain where privacy begins and ends at Capitalfaxblog.