* Rod Blagojevich’s defense is arguing that his lone conviction ought to be thrown out…

Last month the jury deadlocked on 23 of the 24 counts faced by Blagojevich, convicting him only of making false statements during a 2005 interview in which the then-governor told an FBI agent that he was not involved in the details of fundraising.

“He noted that when he attends his events he becomes aware of some of those who are supporting him, but he does not track, or want to know, who is contributing or how much they are contributing to him,” the defense quoted the agent as recounting in his report of the interview.

The defense contended that Blagojevich’s comments to the FBI were taken out of context and that it was “common knowledge” that the governor would be included in fundraising discussions with his re-election bid the following year.

“And moreover, the Governor actually told the FBI agents that he was involved in fundraising during the very interview in question,” the defense motion said.

Keep in mind that the defense is quoting the agent. There could be plenty more there. I checked with the US Attorney’s office to see if the FBI report was online somewhere because I couldn’t find it. Here is the response…

No. It was not admitted into evidence at trial (which is not unusual)

So, I suppose the testimony by the agent was what did RRB in.

* Blagojevich attorney Sam Adam, Jr. said time and again during the trial that his client was “broke.” He could be…

Meanwhile, the filing revealed that the former governor is so cash-strapped that he can’t even pay for the transcripts from his own trial. Lawyers asked for permission to review the transcripts that they could not purchase.

“Prior to the end of trial, defendant’s fund from which his legal fees were paid was depleted, and as a result, Blagojevich has not been able to procure copies of the official transcripts from trial,” lawyers wrote.

Thoughts?

* No surprise here…

All of the charges against Doug Belkin, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested while covering the Rod Blagojevich trial in July, were dismissed yesterday by a magistrate judge in U.S. Federal District Court.

Mr. Belkin faced two citations for “disturbance” and for “disobeying signs and directions,” according to a spokesman for the U.S District Attorney’s office.

Mr. Belkin was taken into custody at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago after he disobeyed orders from a security guard while attempting to interview one of the lawyers in the trial. “I told him three times to back up and he didn’t,'’ the security officer said at the time. “He put his hands on me.”

Security run amok. Yes, they need to keep some calm in the federal building, but it’s not a 1st Amendment Exclusion Zone.