* The prosecutors have identified a motive for Rod Blagojevich’s frantic efforts to sell the US Senate seat. He was deeply in hock…
[Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton] said Blagojevich’s $170,000 per year salary was not enough to cover the debt Blagojevich and his wife were incurring.
Hamilton said the money from Rezko took care of some of it, but Blagojevich and his wife were approximately $200,000 in debt in fall 2008.
The prosecution said naming Obama’s Senate seat replacement was the key to solving Blagojevich’s financial troubles and what his next career move would be.
[Hamilton] showed jurors a chart of the family’s debts in the fall of 2008 - $200,000 in “consumer debt and lines of credit against their home,” she said.
Rod Blagojevich didn’t know how to fix his money troubles, Hamilton said. He didn’t even know if he was going to run for governor again.
“He had no career plans for what he was going to do and no plans of what he was going to do with this financial situation,” she told the jury.
“For Governor Blagojevich, his golden ticket arrived on Nov. 4, 2008,” she said. That’s the day Barack Obama was elected president, giving Blagojevich sole rights to replace him in the Senate.
Rod Blagojevich furiously took notes as Hamilton spoke, but at times stopped dead and stared as she leveled accusation after accusation of the various shakedowns.
Hamilton spoke emphatically, sometimes pushing her fingers together, sometimes pointing in the air as she explained the case.
“On the North Side of Chicago is a hospital named Children’s Memorial Hospital.” […]
“In 2008, Children’s Memorial was trying to get a grant to treat sick kids,” she continued in a slow, clear voice. But before Blagojevich would allow that grant, she said, he demanded something in return.”
“But there was a catch,” Hamilton said. “Now that he had decided to help the hospital, he wanted to make sure the hospital was going to help him.”
“Blagojevich decided if the hospital president wasn’t going to help him, he wasn’t going to help the hospital.”
“This was just one in series of illegal shakedowns that started shortly after Gov. Rod Blagojevich became governor of Illinois in 2000 and continued until he was arrested in 2008.”
“You’re going to hear about a shakedown that happened just before the election, this time involving a school,” she told the jury.
In a clear and almost cheerful voice, she is describing the accusations that Blagojevich held up a grant for the school in then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel’s in an attempt to get the congressman’s brother to hold a fundraiser for him.
“Rather than paying out the money as it should have been, defendant Blagojevich demanded that the money be paid out slowly, over time,” she said.
“One of the things you’re going to learn in this trial is that money is power,” she said.
“It wasn’t that (Blagojevich) would go out and do it himself,” she says, “Instead the demand was made by a middleman for his benefit. The middlemen that were used were Lon Monk, Chris Harris and Tony Rezko.”
She is referring to that foursome as the “inner circle.”
She is also introducing the jury to the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund.
“Part of the plan was to try to build up that campaign fund,” she said. “They knew the more money in that campaign fund, the more money Blagojevich could yield and the more they could personally benefit from decisions he was making.”
In her overview of the charges against ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, she is using a phrase consistently throughout — “What about me?”
In each of the alleged shakedowns, she says, Blagojevich was thinking about himself.
“In those instances when he was supposed to be asking, ‘What about the people of Illinois?’ he was asking ‘What about me?’” Hamilton said early in her statement.
…Adding… The best way to follow along with the action live is to monitor Natasha Korecki’s and Susan Berger’s Twitter pages. Also #Blagojevich tag on Twitter, but that’s pretty clogged with reTweets of Natasha’s stuff.
“He’s broke! He’s broke!” Adam yelled. “And do you know why he’s broke, ladies and gentlemen? It’s not hard. He didn’t take a dime!”
Adam is animated, to say the least. He is whispering and yelling, putting his hands over his stomach, putting them into and out his pockets, pointing at the jurors, Rod, the prosecutors. He’s covering much ground, walking up to the witness stand, back to the defense table.
“This is the federal government,” he said. “The same people chasing Bin Laden are chasing him!”
Rod is not writing anymore. He is sitting with his hands folded.
* Yesterday, when a group of veterans, some of them with Democratic ties, blasted Congressman Mark Kirk for not telling the truth about his military record, Kirk made sure reporters knew about those Democratic ties (the Tribune story reprinted most of the talking points) then rolled out an endorsement from the Vets for Freedom PAC, which has endorsed only Republicans this year. The VFF PAC didn’t endorsement didn’t mention the blowup over Kirk’s military record.
* I suppose it could go on forever like this, considering the ways of DC. One guy gets an endorsement, another guy quickly announces a counter-endorsement from a ready-made partisan organization.
As far as I know, however, Kirk hasn’t yet found a Republican pro-choice group to endorse him in the wake of losing NARAL’s support. Then again, maybe he’d rather not. Probably the same goes for some other groups as well. He’s trying to look moderate, not liberal.
I’ll bet some right-wing Republicans are beating their heads against a wall, thinking “If we weren’t going to get the support of the gays and the enviros, why didn’t we just go ahead and nominate a real conservative?”
The object was to run a moderate, not a hardcore liberal.
* The Daily Herald goes off on state Sen. Bill Brady for missing so many votes and then vowing not to take expense reimbursement and per diem checks. “He doesn’t deserve the money,” the editorial board exclaims, adding that Brady has “shirked his duty.” The conclusion…
It might be a nightmare for campaign schedulers, but candidates ought to be in Springfield or Washington, D.C., when votes are taken and travel when they can.
We strongly disagree with Brady’s campaign spokeswoman, Patty Schuh, who told our reporter Timothy Magaw that casting votes are only part of Brady’s job as a senator.
“In order to run a credible campaign for governor, you have to be on the trail,” she said.
We’re more in line with Paul Green, a political science professor at Roosevelt University, who said: “You get elected to vote on issues. There are only 59 senators who can vote. There are a lot of people who can give speeches.”
It’s the votes, not the speeches, that should help voters distinguish between the candidates.
Only a few of those votes were close, and no matter what the DH claims speeches are quite important to campaigns. I get the point about him not being around, but I don’t think that we should only be looking at his votes. They are very important, no doubt, but what he says about what he intends to do if elected is also important.
That’s not the Senate in the ad. That’s the House.
So as the ad zeroes in on what’s supposedly an empty Brady chair, it’s showing the wrong chamber in the Illinois Capitol.
Hilarious.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* In other news, I’ve been hearing about this poll for quite a while now…
The other day we received a robo-call from a polling organization. The recording was designed to receive only answers of “yes” or “no.”
It was obvious that the questions were geared to elicit answers that would favor Bill Brady, Republican candidate for governor.
The questions were quite loaded, including…
The most insidious wording was in the question about “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military. It was, almost word for word, “Do you agree that we should force men in the military to integrate people with homosexual tendencies in their barracks and in their bunks?” […]
The poll asked, more than once, whom we supported, Bill Brady or Pat Quinn, often after statements such as “Pat Quinn wants to raise your taxes.”
The columnists don’t appear to understand that this is almost undoubtedly a campaign pollster, or possibly (since it seems to be going on for weeks) even a very broad canvass “push.”
* Political Signs Protected Under Freedom of Speech: Governor Pat Quinn says he’s trying to protect freedom of speech across the state. That’s why this week he signed a new law that prevents communities from restricting political signs on private property.
* Quinn tours tornado sites, declares 4 counties disaster areas
With opening statements in his trial just hours away, Rod Blagojevich makes a last-ditch effort to throw out his case that is an “improper criminalization of his rights under the First Amendment,” according to a filing.
“In this case, the defendant was engaged in political speech and expression. The government alleges that the political process in which he was engaged was criminal. This is a violation of the defendant’s rights of freedom of speech and expression afforded him under the United States constitution,” the filing reads.
The idea that Blagojevich was just talking politics when he was captured on undercover recordings in the case is expected to be a key theme today in the opening statement of lawyer Sam Adam Jr.
“This prosecution violates fundamental free speech,” the motion states. “The marketplace of ideas is critical to Democracy.” […]
The defense motion states that Blagojevich never formed the intent to commit a crime and had “the right to vigorously debate about different options for appointments and different fundraising strategies.”
Yeah, talking about extorting bribes, kickbacks, etc. is all protected speech. Right. Good luck with that one.
The attorneys also filed a motion seeking permission to question one of the prosecution’s key witnesses, Stuart Levine, about matters the judge has ruled out of bounds. They also want the judge to toss out a count that claims Blagojevich made false statements to federal agents.
Heading into the courthouse, Blagojevich told reporters that prosecutors “hid the truth and are keeping it in a locked box.”
BGA’s Andy Shaw just announced on WBEZ’s 848 that Rod will be going with the “Advice of Counsel” defense; that anything he said he did on advice of counsel who was in the room and so that makes it okay.
[ *** End of Update 1 *** ]
* The public is lining up for tickets for today’s opening statements like it’s a major rock concert…
Spectators were reportedly out on Dearborn Street at 4 a.m.
All of the tickets to the courtroom were dispensed by 7:30 a.m. […]
As far as supporters bearing signs of support, haven’t seen any.
Well, almost like a rock concert. They’re in it for the spectacle, not for love.
In his first public appearance since jury selection began in the Blagojevich trial last week, Quinn said voters will understand that he’s always been an “independent guy.” Quinn noted that he pushed to get a recall provision added to the ballot two years ago.
“I was the one who led the effort for recall, and Gov. Blagojevich opposed me when I was trying to get recall on the ballot in 2008,” Quinn said. “I think he would have been recalled if that happened. But, we got it done for 2010, so this year people get a chance to vote for recall. I think in a a lot of ways that is one of the key reforms that came out of what happened during his time.”
During the 2006 campaign, then-Lt. Gov. Quinn defended Blagojevich, who already was beset by corruption investigations into his administration.
“In all my interactions with him, I’ve found him to be an honest person,” Quinn said at the time.
Since then, Quinn has refused to apologize for defending Blagojevich during the 2006 campaign.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the indispensable Natasha Korecki, we get these admonishments from Judge Zagel to Rod Blagojevich. No tweeting and watch your mouth, stupid…
“I do not anybody in the well of the court using twitter during trial,” Zagel said.
The judge also warned Blagojevich that public statements he’s made before some days and on radio and television could come back to haunt him.
“You do get to a certain point in time where if you make a lot of statements. . . and you wind up testifying on the witness stand,” questions that have to do with “impeachment” might arise, Zagel said. “There is a risk . . . by repeated public statements outside the courtroom.”
They include a legal assistant in her 20s, an African-American public school math teacher, a retired director for a state public health department and an accounting student from Western Illinois University.
And here’s some video of the disgraced former governor before today’s proceedings…
*** UPDATE 3 *** Once again, Korecki comes through. Here’s the jury…
103, a quiet-spoken woman in her 20s who works as a full-time legal assistant
105, an African-American woman who teaches math to sixth- and seventh-graders in public school; her husband is a state probation officer
106, a female retired director for state public health department who has served on two juries before
115, a blond woman in her 30s or 40s who has worked in retail for the past 15 years; a fan of boating and gardening, she reads news “only for the weather”
119, a mother in her late 20s or early 30s who works in investment accounting and is an avid runner
121, a female accounting student at Western Illinois with an interest in law; her father is a police officer
123, a male human resources manager in his 30s who volunteers for family shelter and has done volunteer work for political candidates
127, a woman in 50s or 60s who likes reading and crafts like knitting and cross-stitch.
128, a young community college student and former Best Buy salesman who likes sports, videogames and hanging out with his friends
133, a man who has had a hip replacement and was concerned about sitting for long periods
135, a man in his 60s who said he was born in a Japanese internment camp in California
137, a retired Navyman who works full-time
148, an African-American, church-going man who worked as a letter carrier for 30 years; has served on two juries in the past, one of which did not reach a verdict.
151, a mechanical engineer with a graduate degree who supervises a crew of 30 at a steel company
153, female secretary/paralegal in the real estate department of a law firm
155, a secretary at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who volunteers at her church
156, young women who works in direct mail marketing and likes spending time with her boyfriend and her dog
166, a female, African-American social worker for a nursing home with a college degree
* Roundup…
* Video of Blagojevich leaving the federal building yesterday
* Blagojevich trial: Opening statements will be a study in contrast: As courtroom styles go, it is hard to imagine a more stark contrast than the ones that will be on display Tuesday when prosecution and defense lawyers make their opening statements in the federal corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Think Joe Friday versus Chris Rock.
* Former GOP state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger officially kicked off his Senate campaign the other day. The complete video is here. At one point during his speech, Rauschenberger slammed House Speaker Michael Madigan for admitting that the General Assembly had passed an unbalanced budget, which would be unconstitutional and a violation of Madigan’s oath of office.
Rauschenberger then made a startling statement…
“We impeached the wrong guy when we got rid of Blagojevich.
“Mike Madigan has been Speaker of the Illinois House for 28 of the last 30 years. He is the architect of the worst funded public pensions in America.”
His statement was followed by a long round of applause.
* Rauschenberger’s histrionics aside, I happen to think the attorney general ought to step into this. I mean, it’s pretty clear from the Speaker’s comments that he’s admitting the budget is in violation of the state constitution, which reads…
(a)… Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget.
(b) The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations for all expenditures of public funds by the State. Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available
during that year.
Thoughts?
* Related…
* State’s budget crisis a boon for debt brokering firms: The brokering of Illinois’ unpaid debt is the latest symptom of a budget crisis that threatens to cripple the state’s network of social services. Other states suffering from severe fiscal problems in the recession have taken a variety of austerity measures but have not stopped paying bills as Illinois has.
* State’s bad economy attracts a business: Illinois is in such bad financial shape that a Georgia-based company has targeted social service agencies here in what one social service official called a “payday loan operation.”
* Our Opinion: Delay judicial appointments until 2011: The Illinois Supreme Court should do the state treasury a favor: Wait until Jan. 1 to appoint replacements for any judge that retires from the bench.
* Wildlife Prairie State Park’s future looks ‘tenuous’: The state’s budget does not include any money for the park in fiscal year 2011, although an Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman said they are working with the governor’s office to include “some funding” next year.
