TPMMuckraker Valerie Jarrett
Rod Blagojevich
Blago Trial Begins (VIDEO)
Justin Elliott | June 3, 2010, 3:03PM
Former IL Gov Rod Blagojevich
Former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared "I feel great" and stopped to kiss the cheek of a supporter bearing a "Rod's not cuckoo. Rod's not guilty." sign as he entered federal court in Chicago today for the first day of his corruption trial.
The Blago charges, regular readers will remember, stem from his alleged attempt to sell an appointment to Barack Obama's Senate seat in 2008, shaking down a children's hospital, and other alleged schemes to profit from his office. He has pleaded not guilty to 24 counts of bribery, wire fraud, racketeering, and attempted extortion.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (12) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Barack Obama, Illinois, Pat Fitzgerald, Rahm Emanuel, Rod Blagojevich, Valerie Jarrett
Rod Blagojevich
Blagojevich On Senate Seat: 'I've Got The Whole Thing Wrapped Around My Arms'
Zachary Roth | April 15, 2010, 10:02AM
Former IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich
Here's another interesting section of the document filed by federal prosecutors yesterday in the Rod Blagojevich case:
After Barack Obama's election to the presidency, the Illinois governor was considering
how to leverage his power to appoint Obama's replacement. Blagojevich seemed to believe that if he picked Valerie Jarrett -- a close Obama adviser who now serves in the White House -- he could get the White House to name him Secretary of Health and Human Services in exchange, prosecutors allege. And, they say, he talked explicitly about such a "trade."
Topics: Barack Obama, Rod Blagojevich, Valerie Jarrett
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