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| Jackson and Emanuel Testify Wednesday |
(IRN)-The mayor of Chicago and an Illinois congressman were the first two defense witnesses in the retrial of ousted Governor Rod Blagojevich.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Chicago) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the stand Wednesday. Both testified that they were never involved in any pay-to-play politics or quid pro quo. Emanuel, who followed Jackson onto the witness stand, was on the stand for only five minutes. Prosecutors did not cross examine him. The government did cross examine Jackson and asked him to recall Blagojevich's first run for governor.
Jackson testified that he was approached by then U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski and was asked to donate $25,000 to Blagojevich's campaign fund because it would be the first time in decades Illinois could see a Democratic governor. Jackson did not agree to the contribution and it was never made. Later, Jackson says he wanted a state job for his wife Sandi Jackson and let Blagojevich know. She didn’t get the position.
"My wife and I were sitting in the living room, watching the governor of the state of Illinois announcing the new director of the Illinois Lottery, and it was not my wife," Jackson said.
Jackson testified that six months later, he saw Blagojevich in Washington, where Blagojevich apologized "that the thing with Sandi didn't work out." Jackson said Blagojevich than began leaving the room but stopped.
"In classic Elvis Presley fashion, he snapped his fingers and said, 'You should have given me that $25,000,'" Jackson testified as he turned to the jury and mimicked Elvis' "thank you very much" mode while snapping his fingers and pointing to jurors. A statement from Jackson's attorney says that the congressman would not comment on an ongoing trial.
Meanwhile, the defense has filed a motion for acquittal. "The government has established through its case-in-chief that the purported conversations to which its witnesses testified amount to nothing more than 'hot air,'" the motion says. "The very most that could be found is that the government may have put in evidence of an attempt to attempt. That is not a crime."
The court will spend the rest of the day on legal issues and deciding which FBI recording can be played for jurors should Blagojevich take the stand.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 05 25 11 by Newsroom |
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