Rod Blagojevich (gov)

Former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich today  pleaded “innocent ” on charges following his re-indictment earlier this month, Bloomberg reports. On Feb. 4, a federal grand jury on Thursday issued a new 113-page, 24-count indictment against Blagojevich.

Last month, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois, headed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, announced plans to bring a revised indictment against Blagojevich, who was arrested in December 2008 on federal corruption charges that involved conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. He was later impeached and removed from office.

The new indictment includes many of the same charges as the first indictment, but downplays charges against “honest services fraud” that had been in the original indictment. That type of fraud is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Attorney’s office, headed by Patrick Fitzgerald, does not want the case to be endangered by an adverse ruling.

When asked today by U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel if he waived reading of the revised indictment, Blagojevich said, “Your honor, I waive reading and enter a plea of innocent to each and every charge.” Leaving the courtroom after entering his plea, Blagojevich told reporters he plans to testify at his June trial, Bloomberg reports.

Patrick Fitzgerald (DOJ)

In addition, Blagojevich also told reporters that he plans to waive his constitutional right to seek suppression of any of the eavesdropping and wiretap recordings collected by the government during its investigation of him, and ask federal prosecutors to agree that the recordings can be played at trial, Bloomberg reports. “Play the truth and play the whole truth,” Blagojevich said.

Blagojevich’s attorney, Sam Adam Jr., said, “We don’t have to prove Rod innocent, but the tapes will.”

David Hoffman (Hoffman for Senate)

Could Chicago’s next mayor be David Hoffman? That’s the notion that at least some voters believe should be considered in Hoffman’s political calculations.

The former Assistant U.S. Attorney last week lost the Democratic primary to fill President Obama’s old Senate seat, finishing a strong second in a five-candidate field. Hoffman, who worked under Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, routinely heard from voters during the campaign that he was running for the “wrong office” — the “right” one being mayor of Chicago, The Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Chicago mayoral election is next year.

Hoffman, who was a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois from 1998 to 2005, has yet to comment on his political future, including whether he might mount a challenge to current Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (D), according to the newspaper. Daley, who tapped Hoffman to be the city’s inspector general in 2005, has been the city’s mayor for more than two decades. “I’m just focused on taking a break and spending time with my family. I’m not really thinking much beyond the next few weeks,” Hoffman told The Chicago Sun-Times.

Richard M. Daley (gov)

Daley, who has yet to decide if he will seek a seventh term, when questioned about Hoffman’s first campaign “sounded a bit defensive,” according to the newspaper. He told The Chicago Sun-Times, “Everybody worked hard. … Everybody did a good job. … I don’t know why you pick one person. Why is that? I know. You’re friends with him.” When asked if he was concerned about Hoffman running for mayor, Daley, who has a 35 percent approval rating, told the newspaper, “I don’t know. I don’t know why you’re asking about him. Boy, you’re really good friends with him.”

The Chicago Sun-Times reports, “The mayor’s comments unmasked a sore point in the Daley camp: that Hoffman used the power Daley gave him to embarrass the mayor, ‘create a platform to run for office out of City Hall’ and become a media darling.”

Patrick Collins, a partner with Perkins Coie, who worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with Hoffman, said he thinks it is unlikely that his former colleague would run for mayor. “He just spent a million bucks of his own money and put his family through a real difficult journey,” Collins told the newspaper.

Rod Blagojevich (gov)

A federal grand jury on Thursday issued a new 113-page, 24-count indictment against former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, The Daily Herald of Chicago reports. Last month, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois announced plans to bring a revised indictment against Blagojevich, who was arrested in December 2008 on federal corruption charges that involved conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

The new indictment includes many of the same charges as the first indictment, but downplays “honest services fraud,” according to the newspaper. That type of fraud is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Attorney’s office headed by Patrick Fitzgerald is concerned that the court’s ruling could hinder its case against the former governor. The honest services statute is under attack because, some critics argue, it fails to give fair warning of precisely what conduct violates the law

The new charges in the revised indictment include new counts of racketeering, attempted extortion, extortion conspiracy, bribery and bribery conspiracy, but “are based on the same underlying criminal conduct,” according to an accompanying filing. “Because the defendants’ illegal conduct violated multiple criminal statutes, additional statutes are charged.”

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office, told The Daily Herald, “There is no new substance to these charges.” Blagojevich’s attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, called the re-indictment “nothing more than warmed-up old soup.” He added that his client is innocent and will be vindicated at trial, The Daily Herald reports.

The indictment also names Blagojevich’s campaign manager Alonzo Monk, chief of staff John Harris and brother Robert, chairman of the Friends of Blagojevich campaign organization, as defendants. The Blagojevich aides, along with fundraisers Antoin Rezko and Chris Kelly were accused of running the “Blagojevich Enterprise.” The plan involved using political power to fund its members through government acts and bribery and then amass the money and divide it up after he left office, according to The Daily Herald.

Blagojevich is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 10. The trial is scheduled to begin June 3.

David Hoffman (Hoffman for Senate)

A former federal prosecutor has lost the Democratic primary to fill President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat, finishing second in a five-candidate field.

David Hoffman, who was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago under Patrick Fitzgerald, received almost 34 percent of the Democratic Senate primary votes on Tuesday, trailing Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who captured 39 percent of the ballots.

The battle was for the right to appear on the November general election ballot to fill the seat being vacated by Democrat Roland Burris. Burris was appointed early last year to finish Obama’s Senate term but  decided not to seek election to a full term.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, The Associated Press called the election for Giannoulias, who earned 39 percent of the vote. He was followed by Hoffman with 33.8 percent, Chicago Urban League CEO Cheryle Jackson with 19.7 percent, physician Robert Marshall with 5.7 percent and attorney Jacob Meister with 1.8 percent.

Alexi Giannoulias (Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois)

Hoffman, who was a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois from 1998 to 2005, came under fire from Giannoulias for seeking campaign donations from his former colleagues. He had received endorsements from numerous news organizations, including The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times and numerous politicians and organizations.

Giannoulias will face Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in November. Kirk won the GOP primary on Tuesday with 56.6 percent of the vote. He beat attorney Patrick Hughes who earned 19.3 percent, retired attorney Don Lowery. who got 8.9 percent, historian Kathleen Thomas,  who got 7.3 percent, writer Andy Martin, with  5.1 percent, and management consultant John Arrington who garnered just 2.8 percent of the vote.

Rod Blagojevich (gov)

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois next month plans to bring a revised indictment against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), The Chicago Tribune reports. Blagojevich was arrested exactly one year ago on federal corruption charges that involved conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

The revised indictment is part of federal prosecutors’ efforts to avoid possible delays that may result from the ruling in an ongoing U.S. Supreme Court case, according to the U.S Attorney’s office in Chicago, The Tribune reports. The case, which was scheduled to begin oral arguments this morning, involves limitations on “honest services” fraud law.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, the law, which makes it a crime “to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services,” is a “powerful weapon in the arsenal of prosecutors seeking to root out all forms of public and private corruption. But the statute, critics say, fails to give fair warning of precisely which conduct violates the law.”

Patrick Fitzgerald (DOJ)

The Tribune reports that prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, “are relying on [the law]” for a number of the corruption charges against the former governor.

The revised indictment will separate out Blagojevich’s charges in order to allow the June trial to start on time, regardless of the outcome of the Supreme Court case, the newspaper reports. The issue of honest services fraud law as it relates to the former governor will be dealt with in a new filing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, The Tribune reports.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar wrote in the court filing, “At this time, it is anticipated that any new charges would be based on the underlying conduct that currently encompasses the pending charges.”

Blagojevich’s attorney, Sam Adam Jr., denounced the U.S. Attorney’s office decision. “It seems to me they ripped a sitting governor out of his home and said he had conducted a crime spree that they had to stop, and now they’re saying there isn’t going to be any ‘honest services’ and they’re going to charge him with something different,” Adam told The Tribune. “I haven’t seen this much backpedaling since Gerald Wilkins got dunked on by Michael Jordan. Now we have to wait until January to find out what he really did?”

David Hoffman (Hoffman for Senate)

A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago is asking prosecutors to open their (not very fat) wallets for his U.S. Senate campaign.

In a fundraising event flier, David H. Hoffman, who worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago from 1998 to 2005, suggests that current Assistant U.S. Attorneys donate a “minimum” of $150, while friends, guests, co-hosts and sponsors are asked to donate more.

Hoffman, who was most recently the inspector general for the City of Chicago, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.).

The flier wasn’t sent to current assistant U.S. attorneys, although it was sent to the homes of 352 former prosecutors, campaign spokesman Thom Karmik said, according to The Chicago Tribune’s Clout Street blog. The prosecutors have a lower “suggested minimum” donation,  Karmik said, because “They make less than attorneys in private practice.”

According to Randall Samborn, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Assistant U.S. Attorneys can make campaign contributions; attend political fundraisers and rallies; and campaign for or against candidates without violating civil service rules and the Hatch Act, The Tribune reported. However, AUSAs are not allowed to participate in politics on government time or solicit or raise campaign donations.

Along with the donation request, Hoffman distributed an open letter from Scott Lassar, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who is co-hosting the Nov. 3 event along with former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Berkowitz, John Gallo and Lori Lightfoot.

“One of the best decisions I made at the U.S. Attorneys Office was hiring David Hoffman. David was a brilliant AUSA who chose to devote himself to gang and gun cases because it made a difference in some of our neediest communities. He initiated successful innovations in the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, including addressing groups of people being released on probation.

David next transformed the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General into a model of integrity and competence.

Now David is running in the Democratic primary for United States Senate. As many of you know, David would be a terrific Senator. He is bright, pragmatic, hard working, and eloquent. Those of you who don’t know him will soon find out.”

Burris was appointed in December by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D)  to the seat previously held by Barack Obama, sparking a political uproar. Fitzgerald — who is also Hoffman’s former boss — was investigating Blagojevich in a pay-t0-play corruption probe and had accused the governor of  being on “political crime spree.” The Senate at first refused to seat Burris, but later relented. Burris has said he won’t seek election next year.

Other candidates for the Feb. 2 Democratic primary are state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, businessman Stan Jagla, Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Robinson Jackson, write-in candidate Robert Jones, frequent candidate Robert Marshall and attorney Jacob Meister.

Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) included a Bush holdover in his recommendations for the next Illinois Central and Southern District U.S. Attorneys, according to a news release from the senator’s office.

A. Courtney Cox (Hart & Hart)

The Illinois senator recommended that President Obama consider retaining Southern District U.S. Attorney A. Courtney Cox in the job he has held since he was appointed to the post by a federal court in November 2007. This is the second Illinois U.S. Attorney that Durbin has asked Obama to keep in place. We previously reported that the Illinois senator requested that Northern District U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald keep his job.

Durbin spokesperson Joe Shoemaker said the Illinois senator did not make his recommendations based on the political affiliations of the candidates. He said Durbin picked the “best qualified people.”

Durbin also suggested that Obama consider lawyer Stephen Wigginton for the Southern District post. He has been with Belleville, Ill. firm Weilmuenster & Wigginton since 2000. Prior to joining the Belleville firm, he spent eight years as a litigator at law firms. He also served as a criminal prosecutor in the Circuit Attorney’s Office in St. Louis.

Stephen Wigginton (Weilmuenster & Wigginton)

Durbin recommended to Obama that Central District Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Harris or James Lewis replace Illinois Central District U.S. Attorney Rodger Heaton, who has held his post since 2005.

Lewis has served as the head of the office’s civil division for two decades. He was a Justice Department Civil Division trial attorney and civil rights lawyer in Mississippi before joining the Central District office.

Harris, the office’s criminal division chief, joined the criminal division at the office in 2001. He worked as a litigator at Springfield law firm of Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes from 1988 to 2001 after serving an eight year stint as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the office.

A bipartisan committee suggested the candidates to Durbin.

Obama has the final say on all U.S. Attorney recommendations. The Senate must confirm the president’s nominees before they can be sworn in as U.S. Attorneys.