After fourteen days of deliberation, the jury in Rod Blagojevich’s federal corruption case only found the former governor guilty of lying to the FBI, just 1 of 24 counts he faced. America’s favorite hairdo was as modest as expected in pseudo-victory:
“The government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, and on every charge but one, they could not prove that I broke any laws except one, a nebulous charge from five years ago,” he told a crush of reporters at the Dirksen Federal Building this afternoon. “I did not lie to the FBI. I told the truth from the very beginning.”
While they could not come to agreement on 23 of the counts, the jury felt Blagojevich lied when he told the FBI that he didn’t keep track of or know who donated to his campaign. Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney, didn’t have much to say, but did say that the prosecution would be preparing for a retrial. This news led to the following taunt from Blagojevich’s lawyer Sam Adam Jr.:
“We didn’t even put a defense on, and the government couldn’t prove his case,” he said, adding that prosecutors “have to ask themselves, ‘Is this worth it?’”
The jury was also unable to reach a verdict on the four counts against Blagojevich’s brother, Robert.
Blagojevich Found Guilty of Single Count by Divided Jury [NYT]
Guilty on just 1 count, Blago taunts U.S. attorney [Chicago Tribune]
Rod Blagojevich jury convicts on one count, hangs on 23 [Politico]
While they could not come to agreement on 23 of the counts, the jury felt Blagojevich lied when he told the FBI that he didn’t keep track of or know who donated to his campaign. Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney, didn’t have much to say, but did say that the prosecution would be preparing for a retrial. This news led to the following taunt from Blagojevich’s lawyer Sam Adam Jr.:
“We didn’t even put a defense on, and the government couldn’t prove his case,” he said, adding that prosecutors “have to ask themselves, ‘Is this worth it?’”
The jury was also unable to reach a verdict on the four counts against Blagojevich’s brother, Robert.
Blagojevich Found Guilty of Single Count by Divided Jury [NYT]
Guilty on just 1 count, Blago taunts U.S. attorney [Chicago Tribune]
Rod Blagojevich jury convicts on one count, hangs on 23 [Politico]
