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Indictment watch begins today * UPDATED x1 *

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*** UPDATE *** Natasha Korecki says the indictment won’t happen today…

It’s no secret a federal grand jury is expected to return a formal indictment against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

But it won’t be today.

With an April 7 deadline looming, that leaves next week — likely Thursday — the day the grand jury considering evidence against Blagojevich and others meets.

Prosecutors could ask for an extension — but I’m told that won’t happen.
Sources say that prosecutors are calling witnesses back for the third and fourth time tying up small, final details.

[ *** End of Update *** ]

* I told subscribers about this possibility the other day…

Sneed hears a federal grand jury may be asked to indict Blagojevich, his wife, Patti, and his brother Robert today.

• • Translation: “The indictment is expected either today or when the grand jury meets again next Thursday,” said a Sneed source.

• • The big question: Will the feds ask for an extension?

• • Response: “I don’t know whether it’s legal help Blagojevich needs . . . or Lourdes,” said a top eagle.

• • Postscript: In case you didn’t know, Lourdes is a Catholic grotto in France known for miracles.

Could be today, could be next Thursday. We’ll all know soon enough. It’s just too bad the indictment wasn’t handed down yesterday during Blagojevich’s loathesome appearance on WLS Radio…

WLS Program Director Bob Shomper said listener response he received was “lopsided” along the lines of Blagojevich’s approval ratings, but that “you’ve got to take a few risks in life - and in business too,” adding, “The opportunity outweighed the risks big time.”

Whatever. I can’t imagine that many advertisers want to be associated with that clown. WLS ought to be ashamed of itself. This goes beyond a publicity stunt. Quite a few people believe Blagojevich is attempting to use his public appearances to “taint” the region’s jury pool, so WLS could be seen as aiding and abetting any such scheme.

* Related…

* Governor a conspirator? Not this one

* Rod Blagojevich, media star: 2-hour stint on WLS used to attack Quinn

* Dueling governors: Rod Blagojevich, Pat Quinn snipe at each other on the radio

* Blagojevich: ‘I was hijacked from office’

* Quinn: Blagojevich’s Radio Debut Full of Fairy Tales

* Radio Rod: Ex-governor hosts local talk show

* A guide to Blago-cabulary

* Schoenburg: Blagojevich’s need for attention trumps good sense

* Attorney Terence Gillespie joins Blagojevich team

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:35 am

Comments

“Lourdes” And in Key West..

Comment by Anon Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:40 am
Mornings on WLS has been going sharply down-hill for the past few months. I was deeply disappointed by Don and Roma’s softball interviews with Blago pre-impeachment. Having him as a guest-host was stupefying inappropriate. The only thing that could have been worse is if Blago guested for Mancow to commiserate with Drew Peterson.

Comment by grand old partisan Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:46 am
John Kass mentioned April 2 (next Thursday) as a possibility, so I’m thinking that may end up being the real Fitzmas… just in time for Easter!

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:48 am
It is pathetic how little respect the ex-gov has for the office he once held and for the citizens of this state. He has absolutely no shame in being impeached. This guy makes Bill Clinton look humble.

Comment by Stooges Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:50 am
Broadcasters used to at least offer the pretense that they are licensed to operate in the public interest. WLS violated that standard with this stunt. Shame on them.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:51 am
I thought Steve Cochran summed it up well last night on my drive home.

“You’ve probably figured out, I’m no fan of management. But the guy who runs that place used to run this place. And I’ve got no problem with him personally. But that was a jack@$$ move.”

Thank you, Steve, for saying succinctly what many of us felt.

Comment by Concerned Observer Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:54 am
All of the D’s and those known to be D’s but slated under different names in the local consolidated election on 4/7 that had any connection with Hot Road should be thrilled to have to deal with that for the last week to 10 days before the election.

Comment by Quinn T. Sential Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 9:57 am
WLS got what they wanted and that was nation wide attention. It is really a dumbing down of public discourse but if you seriously look at the weekday lineup of hosts, who among them is really there to raise public discourse? I would argue that there are two. But the rest is more for entertainment value than anything else.

Comment by HoBoSkillet Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:00 am
Ooops; Hot Rod

Comment by Quinn T. Sential Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:00 am
So we may get a trifecta of indictments. Plus, when Fitzgerald holds his press conference to announce them, he always shares some of the highlights of what the accused has be up to. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more profanity-laced transcripts from Mr. and Mrs. B.

Comment by Stooges Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:02 am
Anyone else notice how EVERY time Blago thrusts himself back into the public eye, Drew Peterson immediately does the same (People interview)? They do both have the same publicist so I can’t help but wonder if some twisted sibling-like rivalry isn’t at work here.

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:04 am
The possibility is that Hurtgen’s cooperation is leading the investigation back to something more subsnative. Possibly back to tollway deals, back to deals with TRS, back to state bond re-fi.

Comment by GlenView Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:05 am
Rod could pray at our lady of the underpass; it is much closer to home.

Comment by noname Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:05 am
Blagojevich: ‘I was hijacked from office’

I was hard at work one evening, hard at work for the hard-working workers of Illinois, like I always do, when I suddenly felt extremely tired. Kinda like when the Cubs are up by one at the top of the ninth, and then blow the game - that kind of tired.”

“I checked my cocoa-cup, but didn’t find anything unusual about the marshmallows floating inside. I always preferred Fat-Free “Swiss Miss” since I try to stay in shape working out…working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois.”

“The next thing I knew, I saw standing before me, Michael J. Madigan and Lt. Governor What’s-His-Name, wearing Cubs uniforms, complete with hard protective plastic cups.”

“Madigan says to me, “Governor, you’ve been a thorn in our side ever since you won election by working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois. We want huge tax cuts, but you thwart our evil ways. Me, and Lt. Governor What’s-His-Name are here to take over.”

“Governor Blagojevich! This is a hijacking!”

“They hurled catcher’s mitts at me that were autographed by Randy Huntley. That hurt. Deeply. I mean to assault me by one of the greatest Cubs ever, I felt like those words by that great philospher Emerson, “Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.”

“I knew that Madigan and Lt. Governor What’s-His-Name hijacked me to raise taxes on the hard-working workers of Illinois. Steal from them in order to continue their double-dipping, and double-heading shut-outs. I felt the peril!”

“Now I await justice! You see, I have nothing to fear but the truth. The truth will set me free, or something like that. As I lay prostrate and politically bedridden, these Monsters of the Midway run unscathed through the verdent gardens of our great Prairie State.”

“Hijacked! Heed my warnings O sons and daughters of this great land! I have performed by duties, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, often at my humble abode, in dim light, by the light of the moon, with God by my side, and I can DO NO MORE!”

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:10 am
Rod’s perfect for talk radio. Dishonest, ignorant, shameless, narcissistic. Unless you’re talking about Milt Rosenberg, there aren’t too many in that world who could hold down a chair at the Algonquian Roundtable.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:21 am
He doesn’t need a reality show. He IS a walking reality show. Or more precisely, a walking ALTERNATE reality show.

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:25 am
I wonder what his numbers were? I bet high enough that WLS ould do it again, and advertisors will gladly fork over for the time.

We cry our moral outrage, but we tune in and buy the products advertised. I say it is not fool on WLS, it is fool on us for tuning in and supporting WLS advertisors.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:45 am
It’s kind of funny to me that everyone lathers up the high horse and trotts it through the public square casting shamefull looks at WLS for letting Blagojevich guest host the morning shift.

Would it be wrong for the Sun Times to let Blagojevich write a guest editorial? The station took an opportunity to gain a few listeners and sell a few more spots. How is that wrong?

Does WLS not provide news, weather, sports, and other programming beneficial to the community? Obviousy the answer is yes they do. So lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. In my opinion everyone needs to take a breath.

Comment by Speaking at Will Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 11:10 am
Vman, another classic. Cudos sir cudos!!

Comment by Dan S, a Voter, Taxpayer and Cubs Fan Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 11:22 am
If blago was even funny or interesting, we may have given WLS some credit for trying to entertain us, but many agree, this served no other purpose than to play into and enable this impeached governors plans to have a long drawn out circus of a trial.

Comment by booooring Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 11:25 am
Speaking at Will - I’m not throwing the baby out yet. I am still a regular WLS listener and I have no plans of changing that. My point is that most of the weekday lineup at WLS are entertainers. This gimmick of letting Blago guesthost just confirms that WLS lacks public redeeming value just like so many other forms of entertainment.

By the way, Christina Filiaggi is one of my favorite traffic reporters out there on the radio.

Comment by HoBoSkillet Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 11:32 am
Tollway deals, deals with TRS, state bond re-fi all figure in. Let’s count out IDOT too.

Comment by Wacker Drive Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 12:40 pm
Blago saddles up with Attorney Terence Gillespie just other day, timing is everything.
Judgement day cometh Rod!
Orange is going to look good on you!

Correction: Let’s not count out the IDOT deals too.

Comment by Wacker Drive Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 12:49 pm
Could this be why we haven’t heard much from our friend “Judgement Day Is On The Way” recently? He or she must be pretty busy.

Comment by Secret Square Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 1:18 pm
WLS lost whatever credibility they had with me years back when they had Ed Vrdolyak host a show. Haven’t listened much since.

Comment by this old hack Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 5:25 pm
An Indictment Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe speculation concerning the number and identity of possible defendants. Tornadic spin (by national talking heads), damaging winds (from Blago’s mouth), and (a) large hail (of criminal counts) are all possible.

Comment by Bookworm Thursday, Mar 26, 09 @ 10:42 pm