Category Archives: Obama thugs

Blagojevich trial early January 2011, Update, Attorneys Adam Sr and Jr may represent Blagojevich pro bono

Posted on August 26, 2010 | 37 comments

Blagojevich trial early January 2011, Update, Attorneys Adam Sr and Jr may represent Blagojevich pro bono

From the Chicago Tribune August 26, 2010.

“The judge who presided over Rod Blagojech’s corruption trial says he’ll likely set the retrial for early January and reiterated that he probably won’t allow the former governor to have more than two taxpayer-funded lawyers.

Judge James Zagel said today he would be open to allowing more attorneys if they volunteered their time, or allowing attorneys paid for by a benefactor.

Zagel said the trial date will likely be the first week of the new year, but not on Jan. 3, just after the New Year’s holiday.

The judge said the date revolves around the complications of getting a jury selected. That process lasts six to eight weeks, and begins with a questionnaire on whether prospective panelists can serve on a lengthy trial.

If that process started immediately, opening statements would be given in October and  jury deliberations could run into the holidays, Zagel said.

“We have a certainty that we’re dealing with deliberations in the last half of December, and that’s a bad time to do it – a distracted jury,” Zagel said.

A delay until January also will allow some of the publicity surrounding the case to die down, he said, and will lead to a jury pool that includes people who have a general memory of the case but not a specific one.”

“After the hearing, Blagojevich lawyer Sam Adam Sr. disputed reports that he and his animated lawyer son, Sam Adam Jr., had decided not to represent the former governor at a retrial.

Adam Sr. said he, his son and the other lawyers representing Blagojevich would discuss the makeup of the legal team for a second trial with their client, but allow him to make the final call on who stays and who goes.

Adam Sr. said everything would be on the table, including the possibility of seeking a plea deal, though he acknowledged that wasn’t likely since Blagojevich has said in recent media interviews that he would not do so.

“I have never discussed a possible plea with the government,” he said, stressing that prosecutors have never broached the idea of a deal either. “But I’ll discuss anything.”

“It’s up to him,” Adam Sr. said of Blagojevich. “He’s the client. Whatever he thinks is best we’ll do.”

And Adam Sr. said he would even consider remaining on the legal team and working for free if Blagojevich asked him to. “I’m prepared to do anything the client wants, including working for free. He’s our friend and he’s our client. ”

Read more:

37 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, corruption, Defense, Illinois, Judges, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama thugs, Pay to play politics, US Department of Justice

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Blagojevich trial January 2011?, Judge James Zagel, Public defenders, Citizen Wells open thread, August 24, 2010

Posted on August 24, 2010 | 147 comments

Blagojevich trial January 2011?, Judge James Zagel, Public defenders

From the Chicago Tribune August 23, 2010.

“At a private meeting last week with lawyers in the case, U.S. District Judge James Zagel said he was eyeing January for a second trial and suggested he would appoint two attorneys for Blagojevich at taxpayer expense, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Blagojevich’s legal team of seven lawyers was paid from his campaign funds for the first trial, but taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the retrial because the $2.7 million in campaign money ran out.

No date for a retrial has been picked, and the matter remains fluid, those with knowledge of the meeting said. The attorneys are scheduled to meet for a public status hearing in front of Zagel on Thursday.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/blagojevich/ct-met-blagojevich-retrial-0824-20100823,0,7833059.story

147 Comments

Posted in Attorneys, Blagojevich, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, corruption, Courts, Criminal Complaint, Federal Court, Government, Illinois, Judges, Law firms, Lawyers, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, US Department of Justice, US District Court

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Patrick Fitzgerald, Justice Department corruption, Obama protected before and after 2008 election

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 33 comments

Patrick Fitzgerald, Justice Department corruption, Obama protected before and after 2008 election

Judicial Watch assessment of the Rod Blagojevich trial.

“If you read the press coverage of this verdict, it is clear that public reaction to the verdict is nearly universal: “One count? That’s it!? Is this a joke?”

No, it’s no joke. And, truthfully, this is the result I expected after the government wrapped up its case. It looked like the prosecution’s case was distorted in order to protect President Obama, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett. It’s that simple.”
“It looked to me that the trial was turning into a political nightmare for the Obama White House. And this may explain why the prosecution shut their case down a month early.”
“Let’s hope prosecutors get it right this time. I suspect that Eric Holder’s politicized Justice Department interfered with the investigation conducted by the reputedly independent U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.”

Read more:

http://www.judicialwatch.org/weeklyupdate/2010/33-obama-steps-ground-zero-mosque-mess#anchor2

Judicial Watch makes some good points. They are certainly correct about Holder and Fitzgerald. However, as reported here for many months, Blagojevich should have been arrested many months earlier and this trial is about Chicago corruption involving Blagojevich, Rezko and Obama going back to at least 2002.

From Citizen Wells July 15, 2010

“Patrick Fitzgerald was aware of Blagojevich’s corruption in 2003

“Pamela Meyer Davis had been trying to win approval from a state health planning board for an expansion of Edward Hospital, the facility she runs in a Chicago suburb, but she realized that the only way to prevail was to retain a politically connected construction company and a specific investment house.

Instead of succumbing to those demands, she went to the FBI and U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in late 2003 and agreed to secretly record conversations about the project.””

Read more

Before the 2008 election, before the alleged selling of the senate seat, CBS 2 Chicago reported the following on September 24, 2008.

“A source tells CBS 2 News Wednesday night that a team of federal agents believes it has the evidence needed to indict Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Investigators believe they’ve established solid evidence of fraud and conspiracy.

However, they are not the ones who make the decision to prosecute. It’s up to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the Justice Department in Washington.”

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/governor.blagojevich.indict.2.825033.html

Have any of the big media players pointed this out? Blagojevich was convicted on one count of lying to the FBI in 2005. At the absolute latest they had this nailed down by the Tony Rezko trial in early 2008.

From the Blagojevich indictment.

“On or about March 16, 2005, in Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division,

ROD BLAGOJEVICH,

defendant herein, did knowingly and willfully make materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency within the executive branch of the Government of the United States, when ROD BLAGOJEVICH,

interviewed by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the presence of his counsel, stated in sum and substance that:
Since the time that he became governor,
(i)
ROD BLAGOJEVICH maintains a separation or firewall between politics and state business; and
(ii)
ROD BLAGOJEVICH does not track, or want to know, who contributes to him or how much they are contributing to him;

Whereas, in truth and in fact, as ROD BLAGOJEVICH then well knew, these statements were false;
In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(2).”
Once again I present this video which is damning for Patrick Fitzgerald.

33 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, corruption, Federal Court, Illinois, indictment, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, Prosecution, Rezko, Stuart Levine, The Case Against Barack Obama, Tony Rezko, US Department of Justice, Washington DC, white house

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Blagojevich retrial, Rezko Levine et al waiting sentencing, Citizen Wells open thread, August 23, 2010

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 113 comments

Blagojevich retrial, Rezko Levine et al waiting sentencing

From the Chicago tribune, a list of Blagojevich trial potential witnesses waiting on sentencing.

“–Antoin “Tony” Rezko: Former fundraiser for Blagojevich and Barack Obama and key adviser to Blagojevich, convicted in June 2008 of fraud, money laundering and bribery for scheming to make millions of dollars by squeezing campaign contributions or kickbacks from firms seeking business with the Teachers Retirement System and Health Facilities Planning Board. On the witness list for Blagojevich’s trial, but did not testify, and is awaiting sentencing. Still faces charges of fraudulently obtaining a $10.5 million business loan.

–Stuart Levine: Millionaire attorney and longtime Republican donor. Pleaded guilty in October 2006 to fraud and money laundering in the Rezko schemes and was the government’s top witness against Rezko. Member of both the TRS and health planning boards, reappointed by Blagojevich to both. Testified that Blagojevich told him, “Stick with us and you will do very well for yourself.” Awaiting sentencing. Faced life in prison but could get 5 1/2 years for cooperating.

–William Cellini: Longtime Republican fundraiser in Springfield who did business with TRS. Was indicted with Blagojevich on charges of fraud and extortion conspiracy and attempted extortion in connection with a plan to block a Hollywood producer’s real estate investment company from getting $220 million in teachers pension money to invest unless the producer contributed to Blagojevich. Pleaded not guilty in November 2008, got his case separated from Blagojevich’s last fall and has not had a trial date set.

–Alonzo “Lon” Monk: Blagojevich’s law school roommate, gave up a career as a sports agent to join Blagojevich and was the governor’s first chief of staff and campaign manager. Pleaded guilty in October 2009 to one count of wire fraud for attempting to squeeze a racetrack owner for a $100,000 campaign contribution. Testified at Blagojevich’s trial that the two of them, Kelly and Rezko discussed ways to make money through state government connections. Has yet to be sentenced. He faced 37 to 46 months in prison but could get 24 months because he cooperated.

–John Harris: Blagojevich’s chief of staff from late 2005 until his arrest in December 2008, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Testified that Blagojevich sent word to the Obama administration that he would appoint one of the president-elect’s close friends to Obama’s vacated Senate seat if Blagojevich got a cabinet post in Washington. Has yet to be sentenced, but prosecutors have promised to urge a maximum 35-month term.

–Ali Ata: Rezko associate who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about Rezko’s role in getting him his job as executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority. Testified he was at a meeting in 2003 when Ata gave Rezko a $25,000 contribution for Blagojevich and the governor asked Rezko whether he’d spoken to Ata about a state job. He gave another $25,000 the following summer and Blagojevich told him the job he got should allow him to “make some money.” Awaiting sentencing. Faced 18 months in prison, but cooperation could mean even less than the 12-month minimum.

–Joseph Cari: Former Democratic National Committee finance chairman. Pleaded guilty in September 2005 to attempted extortion after telling a company seeking TRS business it had to send $750,000 to a consultant of his choice. Testified that Rezko and Kelly tried to recruit him to raise money for a Blagojevich presidential run and that the ex-governor told him governors are in a better position than senators to seek the presidency because they can hand out legal work and other contracts to contributors.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-blagojevichscorec,0,4123288.story

113 Comments

Posted in Ali Ata, Blagojevich, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Chicago Tribune, Illinois, Joseph Cari, Lawyers, News, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Rezko, Stuart Levine, Tony Rezko, William Cellini

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Blagojevich retrial, Rezko and Levine must be witnesses, Leonard Cavise, DePaul University law professor, Evidentiary Proffer

Posted on August 19, 2010 | 112 comments

Blagojevich retrial, Rezko and Levine must be witnesses, Leonard Cavise, DePaul University law professor, Evidentiary Proffer

It was clear to experts and novices alike that Tony Rezko and/or Stuart Levine had to be called as witnesses in the Rod Blagojevich trial. Tony Rezko’s name was mentioned approx. 288 times in the Evidentiary Proffer. When Judge James Zagel stated that Rezko was a bad witness, our collective jaws dropped. Stuart Levine, the key witness in the Rezko trial was not only enmeshed in corruption, he was a long time drug user.

From Citizen Wells July 29, 2010

“If I were a Blago juror …”

“If I were a juror, I’d wonder why we never heard from so many of the allegedly bad guys — Tony Rezko, Stuart Levine — mentioned by the prosecution.”
“As noted in part 5 of this series, Tony Rezko’s name was mentioned approximately 288 times in the Evidentiary Proffer. The above numbers reveal that of the evidence presented in the Proffer, 38 pages are loaded with names and corruption activities tied to Blagojevich from 2002 to mid 2008. And yet neither Tony Rezko or Stuart Levine were called as witnesses. And just as predicted and warned about here, the focus of the trial was the selling of Obama’s senate seat.”

Read more

An expert on law has commented on Rezko and Levine being called as witnesses. Leonard Cavise is a DePaul University law professor. From the DePaul website.

“Biography

Professor Cavise has a long background in litigation , both criminal and civil, including substantial pro bono litigation. In addition, he has worked in international human rights for many years, including lectures and training sessions in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Venzuela, Italy, France and other locations throughout the world. Several projects were designed to train Latin American human rights lawyers in the art of trial advocacy. In 1999, he founded the Chiapas Human Rights Practicum and has taken law students to work in human rights offices in Chiapas every year since then. He was the Director of DePaul’s Lawyering Skills Program from 1983 until 1990.”

http://www.law.depaul.edu/faculty_staff/faculty_information.asp?id=10

From the Chicago tribune, Cavise’s comments.

“A day later, all that was clear was that Blagojevich would have another day in court. What was less certain was what changes could be made to the prosecution case next time around, who would represent the governor at his retrial and how that defense would be paid for.

Experts differed on what the government might do as it makes another attempt at proving Blagojevich tried to leverage the powers of his office — including the appointment of a U.S. senator to fill the seat once held by President Barack Obama — to enrich himself and his campaign fund.
Some predicted that prosecutors would just slightly adjust their case or possibly leave it the same, while others suggested the next go-round could be much more drawn out.

Former federal prosecutor Dean Polales said he thinks the pr
osecution’s case will only be tweaked, especially since jurors reported an 11-1 split in favor of conviction on many of the major counts in the indictment.
“You’ve got an outlier juror,” Polales said. “That’s hard (for the defense) to duplicate in a future trial.”

But Leonard Cavise, a DePaul University professor, suggested the government will need to do more at the retrial, possibly leading to a longer presentation of evidence. He said he believes the government may try to avoid another deadlocked jury by using fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko and political fixer Stuart Levine as witnesses.

Both men have agreed to cooperate, but prosecutors chose not to call them this summer in part because of the baggage both bring.
“If the prosecution insists on going forward, I have two words for them: Rezko and Levine,” Cavise said. “They know where all the bodies are buried.””

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/blagojevich/ct-met-blagojevich-retrial-20100818,0,2911219.story

112 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Chicago Tribune, Citizen, Citizen Journalism, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, corruption, Courts, Criminal Complaint, Federal Court, Illinois, indictment, Judges, Jury, Justice, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, Rezko, Stuart Levine, The Case Against Barack Obama, Tony Rezko, United States, US Department of Justice

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Blagojevich jury holdout, Jo Ann Chiakulas, End justifies the means, Hand of God?, Citizen Wells open thread, August 19, 2010

Posted on August 19, 2010 | 45 comments

Blagojevich jury holdout,  Jo Ann Chiakulas, End justifies the means

From ACE OF SPADES HQ.

“Here’s what Fox local news in Chicago reports:
Jurors who have been interviewed so far will not identify the juror, other than to say the juror was a female.
FOX Chicago News reported that speculation is centering on juror Jo Ann Chiakulas of Willowbrook, after a second-hand acquaintance said that she has been saying for weeks that she would find Blagojevich not guilty.

Chiakulas is a retired director from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Contacted Tuesday night, she told FOX Chicago News she would call on Wednesday if she wished to talk about the case.

On one count at least, Chiakulas voted with her fellow jurors, agreeing to convict Blagojevich of lying to federal agents.

Note that that is not yet confirmed. It is now confirmed by CBS local news Chicago.

They actually could have reported more — because pre-trial, they had this to say about a female “retired public health director” on the jury panel:
Juror # 106, a black female believed to be in her 60s, is a retired state public health director who has ties to the Chicago Urban League. She has handed out campaign literature for a relative who ran for public office. She listens to National Public Radio and liberal talk radio shows.

Media accounts mention the campaign literature, but they don’t mention NPR and liberal talk radio. Why?

We know they read this description — why do they end their repetition of it at that point?

The media is quick to stereotype conservative-tilting Americans and attribute to them bad motives.

Think they’ll do the same here?

What were her motives for so egregiously ignoring the law to set a guilty man free that her fellow jurors had to confront her with her own oath to render a true verdict?

Ties to the Chicago Urban League?
The Chicago Urban League supports and advocates for economic, educational and social progress for African Americans through our agenda focused exclusively on economic empowerment as the key driver for social change.
The Chicago Urban League provides African Americans with the tools, the programs and the experiences to help them reach their full economic potential. We are committed to growing Chicago’s African-American workforce and business community with well-informed pursuit of the following four strategies….
So she’s sort of hooked up with… community organizers?”

Read more:

http://minx.cc/?post=304818

This information surprises none of us. For the far left, the guiding principle seems to be the end justifies the means.

This woman is no worse than the judges, election officials and others who have ignored the US Constitution to justify the end.

And furthermore, this may be a blessing in disguise. For starters, this has highlighted the weak case of the prosecution and the failure to present a smoking gun, aka, Tony Rezko. This also brings more attention to the case and thus Obama and his fellow thugs and cronies. The prosecution may actually have to step up to the plate and present evidence. And who knows, perhaps Patrick Fitzgerald will unhitch his wagon from a falling star. And of course, it presents another platform for me and others to reveal the truth about Blagojevich and Obama. 

Perhaps the hand of God touches this.

45 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich Impeachment, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Citizen, Citizen Journalism, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, constitution, corruption, Courts, Criminal Complaint, Defense, FBI, Federal Court, Grand Jury Indictment, Illinois, indictment, Judges, Jury, Justice, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama indictment, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, Prosecution, The Case Against Barack Obama, Tony Rezko, United States, US Department of Justice, US District Court, Washington DC, white house

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Blagojevich retrial, Protecting Obama, Patrick Fitzgerald conspirator?, Fitzgerald and Justice Dept delayed arrest of Blagojevich

Posted on August 18, 2010 | 39 comments

Blagojevich retrial, Protecting Obama, Patrick Fitzgerald conspirator?, Fitzgerald and Justice Dept delayed arrest of Blagojevich

Patrick Fitzgerald has zero credibility with me. However, with rats jumping ship left and right, will Fitzgerald throw Obama under the bus?

From the Chicago Tribune.
“Moments after a rare setback, a chastened U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was acting nothing like the swaggering prosecutor who just 20 months earlier proclaimed he had arrested a sitting governor to stop a political crime spree.

He would not take questions from reporters about his office’s failure to convict former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 23 counts against him, winning a guilty verdict only on a single count of lying to the FBI,  among the least serious of the charges he faced.

Instead, Fitzgerald vowed to retry the case, then quickly ending his news conference.

“So, for all practical purposes, we are in the mode of being close to jury selection for a retrial,” he said.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/defense-jubilant-prosecutors-look-to-retrial.html

From the Chicago Tribune.

“The counts on which the jury could not agree framed the heart of the government claims that Blagojevich schemed to profit from his post from his earliest days in office and in the 2008 attempted to auction off the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.”

“Lawyers in the case are to be back in court Aug. 26, possibly to pick a retrial date. Prosecutors are expected to push for the case to be back before a jury this fall, while the defense is likely to drag its heels and promised to appeal the single count the former governor was convicted on.
While gaining a conviction of the former governor on one count, the result of the trial was a far cry from the sweeping convictions in public corruption cases that Fitzgerald and his prosecutors have grown accustomed to. In his nine years at the helm of the prosecutor’s office here, Fitzgerald has secured guilty verdicts for an array of public officials, ranging from aldermen to the patronage chief for Mayor Richard Daley to Blagojevich’s predecessor as governor, Republican George Ryan.
The government case against Blagojevich was a vivid example of how slowly the wheels of justice can grind in public corruption cases. Blagojevich was arrested just weeks after he allegedly began plotting to sell Obama’s Senate seat, but federal agents had been probing wrongdoing in the governor’s administration since at least 2004 — his second year in office — and questioned Blagojevich for the first time in 2005 during his first term.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/blagojevich-convicted-on-1-of-24-counts.html

Thanks to the Tribune for pointing out that Blagojevich was under scrutiny at least by 2004.

Now for the rest of the story.

From Citizen Wells July 15, 2010
“The question is, why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”

“The US Justice Department had plenty of evidence indicting Rod Blagojevich by 2006. Why did the US Justice Department wait until December 2008, after the election, to arrest Blagojevich?”

“From in or about 2002 to the present, in Cook County”

“Since approximately 2003, the government has been investigating allegations of illegal activity occurring in State of Illinois government as part of the administration of Governor ROD BLAGOJEVICH.”

“Timeline is revealing

Patrick Fitzgerald was aware of Blagojevich’s corruption in 2003

“Pamela Meyer Davis had been trying to win approval from a state health planning board for an expansion of Edward Hospital, the facility she runs in a Chicago suburb, but she realized that the only way to prevail was to retain a politically connected construction company and a specific investment house.

Instead of succumbing to those demands, she went to the FBI and U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in late 2003 and agreed to secretly record conversations about the project.””

Patrick Fitzgerald and US Justice Dept. delayed Blagojevich arrest

39 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich Impeachment, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Citizen, Citizen Journalism, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, corruption, Courts, Criminal Complaint, Defense, FBI, Federal Court, Grand Jury Indictment, Illinois, indictment, Judges, Jury, Justice, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama impeachment, Obama indictment, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, The Case Against Barack Obama, United States, US Department of Justice, US District Court, Washington DC, white house

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Blagojevich jurors speak out, No smoking gun presented, Rezko for example, Citizen Wells open thread, August 18, 2010

Posted on August 18, 2010 | 124 comments

Blagojevich jurors speak out, No smoking gun presented, Rezko for example

From the Chicago Tribune August 18, 2010.

“”They were very strong personalities,” foreman James Matsumoto said of the jurors. “They were all independent thinkers.”

He said he would have convicted Blagojevich on all counts, saying that the case slowly built, “layer upon layer.”

“You just say, ‘God, what was he doing?’ You find out here they were selling seats on boards and commissions. That to me was shocking,” Matsumoto said.

But in the end, he said, the “lack of a smoking gun” was too much of a hurdle for jurors to reach more than the one unanimous decision.

“We deliberated logically and with respect for each other’s opinions,” Matsumoto said. Still, he added, “it was very frustrating.”

Erik Sarnello, 21, of Itasca, said a female juror who was the lone holdout on convicting Blagojevich of attempting to sell the Senate seat “wanted clear-cut evidence, and not everything was clear-cut.”

Sarnello, a sophomore at College of DuPage studying criminal justice, said the main problem with the prosecution’s case was that it was all over the place.

“It confused people,” he said. “They didn’t follow a timeline. They jumped around.”

The foreman said jurors came close to convictions on a number of the 24 counts — as close as 11-1 — but remained far apart on others.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/blagojevich/ct-met-blagojevich-verdict-jury-20100818,0,1234825.story

Obviously, Tony Rezko is the biggest smoking gun.

124 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich Impeachment, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Citizen, Citizen Journalism, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, corruption, Courts, Criminal Complaint, Defense, Federal Court, Illinois, indictment, Judges, Jury, Justice, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama indictment, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, Senator Obama, The Case Against Barack Obama, United States, US Department of Justice, US District Court

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Blagojevich trial jurors request Bradley Tusk testimony, August 16, 2010

Posted on August 16, 2010 | 101 comments

Blagojevich trial jurors request Bradley Tusk testimony, August 16, 2010

From the Chicago Tribune August 16, 2010.

“On the 13th day of deliberations, jurors in the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial have made a new request of U.S. District Judge James Zagel: they want to see a transcript of the testimony of Bradley Tusk, a former deputy governor who spoke on the stand about what he perceived as an attempted shakedown of U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

Over the objections of a defense lawyer, Zagel said he would provide the transcript.
Tusk, who served Blagojevich from 2003 until 2006, testified that Blagojevich had promised a $2 million grant to an experimental Chicago school in Emanuel’s district, only to later hold its release hostage unless Emanuel leaned on his Hollywood talent agent brother, Ari, to hold a fundraiser for the governor. Tusk testified that he was so outraged by Blagojevich’s alleged tactic that he told Blagojevich’s general counsel, William Quinlan, to “get control of your client.””

“Jurors created a stir last week with a note to Zagel signaling they have been able to agree on only two of the 24 counts against Blagojevich and had not yet even considered 11 wire fraud counts.

Zagel told them to deliberate further and asked them to come to some decision about the wire fraud counts, even if it was only that they were split.

If they can’t agree, Zagel could accept a partial verdict and declare the jury hung on undecided charges. That could result in prosecutors retrying Blagojevich.”

Read more:

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/blagojevich-on-trial/2010/08/blago-attorneys-called-in-for-a-jury-question.html

101 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Attorneys, Barack Obama, Blagojevich, Blagojevich Impeachment, Blagojevich trial, Chicago, Chicago machine, Citizen, Citizen Journalism, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, corruption, Courts, Federal Court, Illinois, indictment, Judges, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama thugs, Patrick Fitzgerald, Pay to play politics, US Department of Justice, US District Court

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Blagojevich trial verdict possible today, August 12, 2010, Citizen Wells open thread

Posted on August 12, 2010 | 10 comments

Blagojevich trial verdict possible today, August 12, 2010

A verdict in the Rod Blagojevich trial may come today. A note sent to Judge James Zagel from the jurors indicated they may be deadlocked on some of the counts. John Kass of the Chicago Tribune, who has been openly critical of Blagojevich and Obama for some time, provides some commentary.

“Despite all the theories tossed about after the jury delivered the note Wednesday to U.S. District Judge James Zagel, here’s the thing.

Nobody knows what it means. I don’t. Rod Blagojevich doesn’t. Certainly the lawyers don’t.
“We don’t know what it means,” said Michael Ettinger, lawyer for Rod’s brother and co-defendant Robert Blagojevich. “The judge doesn’t know what it means. I assume they are hung on my client, but I don’t know.”

So nobody knows. And you don’t, either, unless you’re a juror, and if you are, then you better stop reading this right now or Judge Zagel will get medieval on you.

So after getting all high and mighty and criticizing my TV colleagues for speculating, it would be most unfair for me to engage in speculation.

Or would it?

According to my own speculations, here’s what we do know:

In the annals of human history, there have been only two times that the impish grin has been wiped completely from the face of Rod Blagojevich.

First, there was that time when the FBI called him about 6 a.m. to tell him they were coming through his bungalow door to arrest him. And he thought it was his good buddy, then state Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, D-How You Doin?, making a practical joke.

Jimmy? Is that you? Jimmy?

No, it was Rob Grant, the special agent in charge of the Chicago FBI office.

And the second time the grin was wiped off was Wednesday, when he got the call to get down to the courthouse immediately because the jury had something to say.

By the time he arrived, he had been able to force at least half the smile back on his face. Walking past reporters, he wisecracked, “Missed you guys.”

But inside, without a jury to play to, the infuriating grin was gone. Instead, he patted his head a number of times, running his fingers over the back of his prodigious mane. But nervously, not like Mr. Cool.”

“Lawyers were told to return to court at 11 a.m. Thursday. That’s going to fuel even more speculation by us gum flappers who don’t know any more than do you.

Notwithstanding the “deliberated without rancor” line from the Perry Masons on the jury, Zagel had kind words for the panel.

He told the lawyers that the jurors were “exceptionally disciplined” and that he hadn’t once heard them fighting in the jury room.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ctc-met-kass-0812-20100812,0,420740.column?page=2&track=rss

Applicable to this trial and other things to be commented on soon,

Things are not always as they seem.

Also, He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

Wells

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