The defense wanted to limit prosecutors from asking witnesses what they "understood" from conversations with the then-governor. They also wanted to bring into evidence the fact that Blagojevich eventually signed the Racetrack Bill, saying the jury will assume he didn't if it's not brought up in testimony.

But Zagel said there was never any question about whether the bill was signed. Instead, prosecutors are arguing that the signing of the bill was delayed while Blagojevich allegedly demanded campaign contributions in exchange for signing it. Zagel accused the defense of twisting the prosecution's argument.

After discussing the two motions, Zagel briefly began addressing a motion from the prosecution before suddenly suspending the hearing to deal with "another matter." It's unclear what that might be.