Lawyers for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich rested their case on Wednesday, clearing the way for a brief rebuttal by prosecutors later Wednesday and, most likely, the completion of closing arguments in his second trial on corruption charges Thursday.
“As is the custom in a federal criminal case, prosecutors — who bear the burden of proof — will get two bites at the apple during the arguments,” Bob Secter of The Chicago Tribune reported. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton will walk jurors through highlights of the government’s case this afternoon and prosecutor Reid Schar will get a chance to sum it up after the defense presents its closing likely tomorrow.”
There had been some speculation that Blagojevich would give his own closing statement, but Aaron Goldstein is now scheduled to wrap up for the former governor, Secter reported. No reason was given for Blagojevich’s decision to keep quiet, but U.S. Judge James Zagel of the Northern District of Illinois made it clear during Blagojevich’s testimony that he thought the defendant was wandering far afield, as Main Justice reported.
Blagojevich faces 20 criminal counts, the most sensational of which involve accusations that he tried to auction off the United States Senate seat that needed to be filled after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. Prosecutors presented numerous tape-recorded conversations that they contend establish the defendant’s guilt. But Blagojevich and his lawyers say they do no such thing, although no one is disputing that they portray him as, at best, a sharp-elbowed wheeler-dealer, even by Chicago standards.
Blagojevich’s first trial ended in his conviction on only one of 24 counts, of lying to the FBI, a verdict the former governor is appealing. Disappointed that jurors could not agree on the other 23 counts, prosecutors streamlined their case this time around to make it easier for jurors to follow.
And while the Obama Senate seat has been the big focus, there are other elements to the case. On Thursday, the Tribune reported, prosecutors were “wrapping up loose ends in their case by questioning an executive with a Canadian-owned cement company that stood to gain from a large tollway expansion program that the government says Blagojevich dangled in order to lure contributions from the road-building industry.”
