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| Deliberations to Begin Soon in Blagojevich Retrial |
(IRN)-The judge in ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial says closing arguments should finish by Thursday so the jury can begin deliberating on Friday, saying "I think it's a bad idea to tell the jury to go home for three days." The trial has thus far run primarily on a Monday through Thursday schedule.
The former governor, who didn't take the stand in his first corruption trial after repeated promises to do so, stepped down Tuesday after seven days of questioning. The final three of those days were cross examination.
As Blagojevich got down from the stand, he tried to shake Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar's hand. Schar, who opened cross examination last week by saying, "Mr. Blagojevich, you are a convicted liar, correct?" ignored Blagojevich's handshake. This prompted Judge James Zagel to explain to jurors that “lawyers are instructed to not make contact” with defendants.
The prosecution began and ended cross examination with the circumstances surrounding who Blagojevich was considering for the U.S. Senate seat in 2008. The alleged shakedowns of Children's Memorial Hospital, racetrack legislation, and a toll-way deal were also points of questioning by the prosecution. Blagojevich made it clear that discussions surrounding the alleged racetrack legislation shakedown did not "cross lines." "One's not for the other," said Blagojevich, referring to campaign cash and his decision on whether to sign racetrack legislation.
Blagojevich denied on Tuesday that he mixed fundraising efforts with talks of getting a multi-billion dollar tollway project off the ground. He also defended his brother, Robert Blagojevich, for denying campaign funds from Jesse Jackson Jr. in exchange for the Senate appointment. "They were offering me campaign funds for the Senate seat, which my brother properly rejected three separate times," said Blagojevich. Prosecutors dropped charges against Robert Blagojevich after last year's trial. |
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| 06 08 11 by Newsroom |
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