Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
Rod Blagojevich has "more training in criminal background than the average lawyer," and yet the defense portrays him as a victim of circumstance who was unaware he was doing anything wrong, prosecutor Reid Schar argues.
"Somehow he is the accidentally corrupt governor? I mean, come on. Come on," Schar says, his voice rising a little.
"He is the decision maker. He is the governor," the prosecutor said. "He is the one who makes the ultimate decision."
Blagojevich is staring at Schar, resting on his elbows with his hands clasped.
Earlier, Schar hit back at Sam Adam Jr.'s argument that Blagojevich's alleged crimes are "all talk."
"The crimes the defendants are charged with are crimes that involve a lot of talking," Schar said. "When you go to rob a bank, you talk about it for a while."
Schar called Blagojevich a "master communicator" who knew exactly how to give one message to people he was extorting -- including the CEO of Children's Memorial Hospital, whose funds he was threatening to cut -- but communicated another message to the public about the cuts being budget savings.
11 days... and the jurors can not come up with a verdict...
wonderful,and excellent job the prosecutors did... with Fitzgerald
who was very eager to go on CNN...???? why? they were trying to involve the now President...? to late
THERE IS NO CRIMINAL CASE HERE,I said this from the begining...
Thousands of taxpayers dollars was spent..and nothing was achieved..
witch-hunt..from prosecution...reminds the 60es in a Communist block.
Hang out in there Mr.Blagojevich...soon is going to be all over..
from NY.
This is really saying quite a bit but “Blago” is one of the, or the biggest CROOK that Illinois has ever had. That is including George Ryan and even Paul Powell. Remember him? That was the guy that cash money was found all over his house. They pulled up the treads on stairs going down to the basement in his house and found stacks of money.
Blago, is a lawyer, a manipulator, he is definitely a master liar as well as a thief. The Gaul of the defense to attempt to describe he as anything other than that at a minimum is laughable.