Rod Blagojevich trial opening statements, Day 4, June 8, 2010
From Citizen News.
“Today, Tuesday, June 8, 2010, jury selection is almost complete and opening statements should begin. How soon will Obama’s name be mentioned? You have heard this before. During the Tony Rezko trial Rod Blagojevich had not been indicted yet his name kept popping up. The same thing should happen for Obama.
From the Chicago Tribune.
“As courtroom styles go, it is hard to imagine a more stark contrast than the ones that will be on display Tuesday when prosecution and defense lawyers make their opening statements in the federal corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.”
“Blagojevich’s side, as presented by the often volcanic lawyer Sam Adam Jr., might resemble a passionate plea from a televangelist as much as a legal presentation.
With the preliminaries in the trial all but over after three days of vetting potential jurors, the final panel is set be seated early Tuesday, then the main event will get under way — with an estimated four months of testimony to follow.
At long last, prosecutors will unveil the full weight of the case against a former governor whose administration came under federal scrutiny not long after his election in 2002. It culminated in the bugging of Blagojevich’s campaign office and the tapping of his phones as he allegedly tried to trade official acts for campaign cash and sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
Hamilton is part of the same three-member prosecution team that secured the 2008 corruption conviction of Blagojevich’s fundraiser and friend Antoin “Tony” Rezko.
At her opening in that trial, she exhibited a biting tone of indignation as she explained how Rezko allegedly used his influence with Blagojevich to manipulate state regulatory panels so he and others could pocket kickbacks. On Tuesday, she will go a step further and claim that Rezko was acting on behalf of Blagojevich in an alleged conspiracy that the government has dubbed “the Blagojevich Enterprise.”
“The primary purpose of the Blagojevich Enterprise was to exercise and preserve power over the government of the state of Illinois for the financial and political benefit of defendant Rod Blagojevich, and for the benefit of his family members and associates,” the indictment against the governor states.
Adam will open for Blagojevich’s defense, and his statement promises to be delivered with all the calm of a gospel preacher in full fire and brimstone fury. Arguing with animated passion and sometimes belly-busting humor has become a trademark for the 37-year-old Adam at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building at 26th Street and California Avenue, where he has spent most of his legal career.
“The more you try to say things the way you think people want to hear them, the more you get away from what got you there in the first place,” Adam said in a recent interview.””
Citizen WElls 