* Phil Rogers tells us how the feds plan to use Tony Rezko against Rod Blagojevich, despite Rezko’s now infamous letter to his judge proclaiming his innocence and accusing prosecutors of forcing him to tell lies about his dear friend…

In a filing Thursday, federal prosecutors said longtime fundraiser Tony Rezko came to them in July of 2008, offering to cooperate in their investigation of former governor Rod Blagojevich. […]

Rezko had previously written a letter to his own trial judge, Amy St. Eve, accusing the government of pressuring him to lie about Blagojevich and others. But in Thursday’s filing, prosecutors state that Rezko had in fact recanted that letter, “and admitted it was false when written in an attempt to secure bond during his trial.”

The motion filed by prosecutors goes on to say that Rezko offered damning evidence against his longtime friend. Prosecutor Reid Schar declared that “on the very first day Rezko began being interviewed by the government, Rezko incriminated the defendant and himself in far reaching corruption schemes.”

The problem, of course, is that even if Rezko really did tell the truth to the government after lying to the judge, he’s still an admitted liar. And a felon. And probably looking to cut himself a deal. Not the most sterling witness.

You can read Rezko’s letter to his judge by clicking here. And here’s an excerpt…

“They are pressuring me to tell them the ‘wrong’ things that I supposedly know about Governor Blagojevich and Senator Obama,” Rezko wrote St. Eve in an April bid to be released on bail during his trial. “I have never been party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator,” Rezko continued. “I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes. I will take what comes my way, but I will never hurt innocent people.”

More…

“I am not Levine, Loren, Mahru or Winter. I am simply an honest, humble immigrant who believes in the American dream,” Rezko wrote as he was kept in solitary confinement in a downtown lockup earlier this year. He was speaking of numerous people who testified at his trial or talked to prosecutors. […]

In his letter, Rezko states that he’s been under pressure by federal prosecutors to give information on Obama and Blagojevich. However, Rezko has never submitted to an interview by the feds nor has he proffered a statement to them.

* Prosecutors also tore into Blagojevich’s defense attorneys yesterday…

In a 34-page filing Thursday, prosecutors said Sam Adam Jr. and Sam Adam Sr. made statements to the media that included made-up numbers and outright lies, all in an effort to speak to the next jury. Blagojevich was convicted of just one count — lying to the FBI. He faces retrial on 23 other counts next year.

The filing takes the Adams to task, saying they made up numbers, telling TV crews a retrial would cost the government up to $30 million.

Prosecutors say that sum nearly equals the annual budget of the U.S. attorney’s office, including rent, civil cases and salaries and expenses of more than 150 non-Blagojevich prosecutors.

* And the feds also defended themselves against claims of misconduct on their part…

“The defendant’s allegations of misconduct are just broad statements or rhetorical questions that make for nice quotes in newspaper articles, but are completely unfounded,” prosecutors wrote. The accusations are just a shield to distract the public from Blagojevich’s own misstatements, prosecutors said.

As an example, prosecutors pointed to Blagojevich’s repeated accusation that the government lied about what was on its secretly made recordings.

“The trial made clear, however, that the government accurately quoted transcripts in context and it was the defendant who was convicted of lying,” the government said.

Thoughts?