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Adam on Fitz: “This guy is nuts”

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Illinois
Blagojevich Trial

* Since he beat the federal government to a draw on all but one count, we should give Sam Adam, Sr. the last word for the day. “This guy is nuts,” he said of Patrick Fitzgerald. Watch…

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 7:12 pm

Comments

The Adams’ should donate their ladder to Rod. He’ll need it to climb out the hole he continues to dig with the press.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 7:36 pm
I heard the whole thing on the radio coming home from work. The Adams (Jr & Sr.) had a lot to say, both Blagojevichs had a lot to say. Robert’s lawyer had a lot to say.

Then Fitzgerald had very little to say. He obviously was watching/listening to Rod Blagojevich thank the jury, and Fitzgerald could not be outdone on that, and that’s basically all Fitzgerald had to say, (thank the jury), and say he could not talk because of the next trial.

Comment by South of the Loop Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 7:51 pm
This from a guy who’s made his living getting some really, really bad people off by using every cheap trick in the book. Didn’t put one thing into evidence, and lucked out with (speculating here) a brain dead juror or two. Mr. Adams, you’ll get your chance to shine in the second trial. Lets see you practice law this time, OK?

That said, I agree that the Feds are scary people.

Comment by Park Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 7:53 pm
Suntimes talked to a juror…it was 11-1 with one hold out against convicting him…Rod just whistled by the gravel yard but it appears there is another cemetery down the street!

Comment by Tom Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 7:59 pm
Nuts as a fox.He is not one to let go although 30 million spent and 30 more. Now comes the retrial. Tony Rezko,Levine,Jesse Jr. lesser players that we heard in the news week after week. Key people he place in Departments. He was out slicked thinking Rod was going on the stand so no need for they guys. Stayed tunes. How says remakes are’ better

Comment by Concern Citizen Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 8:06 pm
Fat lady hasn’t begun to sing yet. He’s dead meat!

Comment by downhereforyears Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 8:07 pm
I believe I heard that the Adams have never tried a case
in Federal Court. this was basically 26th St.defenders
against the G, and there is a lot of cheering from State
folks of all types tonight. the Federal Government has
astounding amounts of resources to investigate and try
a case. how the heck could they blow a case with tapes?

and standing in for all the outrage that the Feds must
have? who is hotter than Cotter? the WTTW trial
coverage tonight had two former Fed Pros. including
Cotter, Len Cavise of DePaul Law, Joe de Lopez (kinda
slimey defense attorney who works in state and fed courts)
and I thought at times that they would all come to blows.
Cotter is so angry that sam daddy mentioned him! that
was some riveting tv.

thanks for the links and all the participatory theater today,
rich!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 8:39 pm
Yes, Amalia, there are many Blago State folks cheering tonight. It sure was a circus watching the Adams family “put on a show” on TV already playing in front of the next jury pool. Here we go again.

Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 8:56 pm
I hope Sam and Sam enjoy tonight while they can. If the jury reports are accurate, it looks like 11 wanted to convict, but a Bartman got in the way. The Adam team might call that a victory. No one else will.

Rod Blagojevich is a convicted felon. It isn’t everything I had hoped for, but it’s a good start.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:07 pm
Many folks think this is an great day for Blago but I am not one of them. After last Thursdays lunacy of the jury not even considering 11 counts, I was sure this was a Blago jury-and couldn’t fathom how this could be.

From the very beginning I felt Blago’s only hope was one hold out who had issues. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Blago could get an aquittal but that appeared to be the way it was heading.

My faith has been restored in the jury system after I found out it was one misguided individual all along.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:09 pm
Another point. Judge Zagel will have noticed the show Blago and the Adams folks put on today. He’ll remember it at sentencing.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:09 pm
Blue Dog, I should have been more specific….State Court,
people who try cases over there and think the Feds get
too many resources and too many silk stocking jobs to
follow their uber resourced G job love this unusual
circumstance of the feds going down.

jury foreman….it was 11-1 on the selling the seat count, all over
the place on other counts, first conv. on Robert and no agreement. he said the Feds gave too much information, too
unclear, he suggests they only retry on the Senate charge.
he said that the Feds arrested Blago too soon.

so that 11-1 looks good for that count but not for the rest
of the charges. Feds still took a major beating today. Terry
Sullivan looks worn out on WGN. hoping for another
episode of the “Irv Miller Show” on CBS2 at 10!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:19 pm
The the post-verdict Blago-Sam-Sam show this afternoon was stunning. One would have thought that Blago had been falsely accused and had been completely exonerated by the jury and found not guilty–instead of what really happened. I was contemplating our dinner menu at the time. I truly feel sorry for anyone who was actually trying to eat while that nauseating theatrical spectacle-by-lawyer was occurring.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:21 pm
Where’d this $30 Million number come from? Blago’s press agent? Sounds like Adam trying to start a spin. Give us the breakdown or shut up.

Comment by Park Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:33 pm
You should see the headline at the LA Times: “Guilty on One Count, Blago taunts US Attorney.”

Comment by Emily Booth Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:42 pm
It sickens me that Blago, his brother, and their attorneys can claim victory. Blago’s behavior was nothing short disgraceful and for him to now claim that he did nothing wrong because he wasn’t convicted is a slap in the face to every person in this state. There are some things that you can’t put a price on. The retrial is one of them. The feds must continue and seek a conviction.

Comment by Good Govt. Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:44 pm
Well I have to agree with Sam Sr that the press was against Rod the whole time… There was the potential jury tampering with Fitzgerald’s press conference in Dec. ‘08

Comment by One's a win right Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 9:59 pm
According to the Sun-Times, there was only one count (buying the Senate seat) that was 11-1 for conviction. The other counts seem to have had 3 or more jurors voting for acquittal. There is no getting around the fact that the feds blew this case big time, and that Fitzgerald has taken a permanent blow to his reputation as a prosecutor. The other side of the coin is that the Blagojevich brothers have won a big victory. Even if the feds win on a retrial, many in the public will view the second trial as an act of heavy-handed vindictiveness.

Comment by Quiet Sage Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 10:01 pm
===your lynch mob can don the sheets one more time and go and burn a voting machine on Blago’s lawn===

Sheets? Rich, are there sheets I need to know about? What time is the voting machine burning? Did I miss a memo?

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 10:14 pm
George Ryan is wondering where that lone juror was for his trial.

Comment by Regnad Kcin Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 10:18 pm
Rich and the Lynch Mob is a decent name for a rock band.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 10:19 pm
I feared a Speaker Madigan riot if there’d been an acquittal.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 10:23 pm
Yes, the victory angle by the defense was too phony in my view.

I got the impression that Sam Adam, Jr., was speaking to future potential clients on camera tonigth. The free advertising he got throughout the trial, and especially tonight, was more valuable that a first position double-truck in the Chicago yellow pages.

I, too, would like to know where the $30 million figure came from.

Potential jury tampering? Not even. As for Rich Miller and his lynch mob, now that’s a great name for a rockabilly band. LOL!

Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 11:06 pm
Responsa, ha! You beat me too it. I just saw your comment.

Comment by Cheswick Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 11:07 pm
now I can see why the jury was confused. I scanned through
the jury instructions (on 123 Pages) and the verdict forms (on
lots more).

I can’t exactly match up the acts under count 1 with the rest
of the counts, but are they supposed to match? and why
if there are acts for attempted bribery, then why is there no
count for attempted bribery?

and on the one count for conviction, well the 1/2 of one
count, so, you hit one of the two and it makes it all guilty?
so if you hit any of the boxes for acts under count 1 would
that have made count 1 all guilty? does it always work
this way in Fed trials? cause it seems unfair to go one
way or the other unless all the elements are proved.

no wonder the jury had a hard time with this. the verdict
forms contain WAY more than 24/4 items for decisions.

wondering which count was 7-5 not guilty. decision making
all over the place!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 17, 10 @ 11:23 pm
“Since he beat the federal government to a draw…”

Interesting phrase!

Comment by Lefty Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 5:21 am
From the Sun-Times:

–While some votes were split 7-5, 6-6 or 9-3, the most explosive of the charges — that Blagojevich tried to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat — came down to a single holdout vote, jurors said.–

What a mess. Jurors complained that the prosecutor’s case was a hodge-podge, with no real narrative or timeline. Was that the A-Team?

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 7:59 am
Blagojevich is going to spin like a top and poison everyone with a little (D) behind their names.

This man will not shut up!

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 8:30 am
What a mess, this continues to be. But I am not a fan of Fitz. myself. I think he jumped the gun with the arrest.

Comment by PPHS Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 8:40 am
I sure hope the retrial is in another state. This trial never should have been allowed to take place in Chicago. Indianapolis, or Madison, or even Des Moines would be more appropriate.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 8:42 am
Every time Adams gets on one of his tirades, I hear “Send in the Clowns” playing in the background on the jukebox in my mind.

Comment by Aldyth Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 8:51 am