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Rod Blagojevich’s lawyer began the closing argument in his client’s corruption trial by scoffing at prosecutors’ case against the former Illinois governor accused of trading favors for campaign cash.
“I had no idea that in two months of trial, they would prove nothing,” Sam Adam Jr. told jurors Tuesday in federal court in Chicago.
Blagojevich, 53, conspired with his brother and co-defendant Robert Blagojevich and members of his inner circle to profit from his office, an attorney for the U.S. said in closing remarks yesterday. The brothers face as long as 20 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges.
Attorneys for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Sam Adam Jr., left, and Sam Adam Sr., right, leave the Federal Court building for lunch Tuesday in Chicago, during closing arguments in their client's federal corruption trial. Photo by M. Spencer Green, Associated Press
The twice-elected Democrat was arrested in December 2008 and later indicted for linking official acts, including the selection of President Barack Obama’s Senate successor, to campaign contributions and personal favors.
He was removed from office for abuse of power by the state’s Legislature in January 2009.
The trial started with jury selection on June 3 and prosecutors rested their case against the siblings after slightly more than five weeks of testimony.
Jurors also heard recorded conversations obtained by the FBI through court-approved wiretaps, in which the governor, his brother and close advisers discussed both pending initiatives – including the Senate seat appointment – and fundraising.
Prosecutors allege that after Illinois union leader Tom Balanoff approached the governor to relay Obama’s preference that presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett be selected, the governor and his inner circle began discussing what the governor could get for himself in exchange.
“That man wasn’t selling any Senate seat,” Adam told the jury. “The president-elect sent emissaries to him.”
Adam told jurors what they overheard in the secretly recorded conversations were the overtures of a political negotiation, not a crime.
“You can infer what’s on Rod’s mind from those tapes,” the lawyer said, and “whether or not he’s trying to extort the president of the United States.”
“He wasn’t trying to extort,” Adam said. “How do you know? The tapes!”
Adam was allotted 2 1/2 hours for his closing statement. His commentary was interrupted several times by prosecutors’ objections to the accuracy of his remarks and by U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s admonishments.
“It’s beginning to look more like a show,” Zagel said of Adam’s performance. Later, while the jury was out, the judge said the lawyer “can be precise without giving up the loud voice, the whispering and the hand-gestures.”
The governor’s closing was preceded by almost two hours of discussion between Zagel and attorneys for both sides concerning whether Adam could tell the jury about people the government mentioned during the trial and didn’t present as witnesses.
Zagel turned down the request, telling the governor’s lawyers that if they insisted on telling the jury about absent witnesses, he would be compelled to tell the panel that those same witnesses could have been called by the defense.
The judge also addressed Adam’s comment yesterday that he was prepared to be cited for contempt and locked up, saying, “Jail is not in the picture and never was in the picture. We don’t do it here.”
Zagel threatened to order Adam to cease talking and take his seat if the attorney failed to hew to instructions.
In a rebuttal, a federal prosecutor said the former governor is not the bumbling, naive victim portrayed by defense attorneys.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar told jurors Tuesday that Blagojevich is a smart man and experienced politician who knows better than to explicitly ask for money or other favors. But he says Blagojevich “knows how to communicate” his intent.
Robert Blagojevich’s defense presented closing remarks yesterday.
The case is U.S. v. Blagojevich, 08-cr-00888, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
