After two days on the witness stand, a still-composed, well-spoken Robert Blagojevich spoke to reporters on his way out of the courthouse this afternoon.
"I consider myself to be an innocent man," he told a mass of reporters and cameras. "This whole experience has been a test that I hope none of you have to go through. And with that, I bid you adieu and I appreciate your interest."
Robert's attorney, Michael Ettinger, joined Robert moments later at the microphone. Ettinger had told the judge earlier that he rested his case if his co-defendants -- that is, lawyers for Rod Blagojevich -- planned to call no witnesses.
Many of the reporters' questions focused on that bombshell of today -- that the former governor likely won't testify in his defense after all, despite 19 months of proclamations that he would take the stand to clear his name.
But Ettinger repeatedly declined to talk about that. "It's really not my place," he said.
One reporter asked Robert, fresh off prosecutor Chris Niewoehner's tough cross-examination, what advice he would give his brother on whether to testify.
"Who am I to give him advice?" Robert answered, acknowledging that his relationship with the ex-governor is "strained." "He doesn't listen to me, you should know that by now."
"I told the truth, and if the truth is good, I did well." he said.
Another reporter asked if he had any more plans to work in politics.
"I just want to go home to Nashville," he said.
Sounds like Robert got caught up in his brother's wrongdoings without really doing much himself. What he did get caught on was his brother's doings' crossing over into what he was doing to innocently help. If anybody wants to claim ignorance, it should be Robert - one of the implicated that is not a lawyer, right? He should maybe get a slap on the wrist.
The key should be thrown away for Rod.
Rod bails on testifying when he realizes Barney isn't going to be cross examining.