Impressive tactic by any attorney, epecially a big one with a tight-collared shirt.
Posted on 07/27/2010 10:48:25 AM PDT by STARWISE
Sam Adam Jr. has just accused President Barack Obama and his transition team of negotiating with Blagojevich.
The offer came from Rod to Tom Balanoff, Adam says. Balanoff brought it to Valerie Jarrett and word came back from Rahm Emanuel through John Wyma.
It's a negotiation they were in, he said of Obama and Blagojevich.
"You start high and they come low," Adam said.
In another comical moment, Adam mocks the prosecution and judge for keeping him quiet. Adam is trying to explain extortion to the jury when prosecutor Reid Schar shoots up.
Adam is silent and puts his arm out pointing to Schar. "Objection," Schar said.
Adam then leans over and looks right at Schar, who won't look up at him. Adam starts to speak again, saying each word slowly, waiting for an objection.
"I..." "Can..."
Zagel stops things to neutralize Adam. Adam, sweating pretty heavily, pauses to wipe his forehead with a tissue.
~~Ping!
Amazing details.
I’ve always liked his beer.
I actually like the Cherry Wheat the best!
Did they pull the page? Link won’t open
After the “Sex for Sam” prank Jim Koch sponsored that resulted in a couple having sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I wouldn’t pour his beer over my head if I was on fire.
It's dead Jim...er, jersey...
I can’t understand why the Defense didn’t call a single witness.
Impressive tactic by any attorney, epecially a big one with a tight-collared shirt.
I think it’s clear the judge is trying to keep Obama safe in this ordeal. Not sure why though.
Blagojevich Trial Updates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prosecutor Reid Schar: Rod Blagojevich “is not stupid. He is very smart.”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 2:14 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Prosecutor Reid Schar argues that Rod Blagojevich knew exactly what he was doing when he tried to shake down a road-building executive, a hospital CEO, racetrack owner and countless others for campaign cash.
“He is not stupid. He is very smart,” Schar said. “He didn’t get elected twice ... by accident.”
The ex-governor knows how to communicate in 30-second sound-bites, Schar says. “That’s what he does for a living,” he says.
So in conversation after conversation, Rod knew exactly how to extort and ask for a bribe without being direct.
Schar talks of Rod’s power as governor, saying people under him feared retribution from a man “with complete control of millions, if not billions, of dollars.”
“There’s victims well beyond the evidence you heard,” Schar says, referencing the people of Illinois.
Schar references a Sept. 12, 2008, conversation between Rod and Children’s Memorial Hospital CEO Patrick Magoon, in which the governor said he planned to raise pediatric rates but tells Magoon to keep it quiet.
“He decides to sit on one of his number one initiatives? It makes no sense,” Schar said.
That’s because Rod intended on getting something in return, later sending his brother to call Magoon and ask for money, Schar says.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald arrived in the overflow courtroom a few minutes ago. He’s sitting with his staff, listening intently to Schar’s rebuttal.
~ ~ ~
Last word in the Blagojevich trial: Prosecutor gives government rebuttal
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 1:59 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar’s parents are sitting in the front row, waiting to hear from their son.
Schar, who has been on the case since the beginning, is sitting quietly at the prosecution table.
He’s likely to unleash his own fury in his rebuttal after hearing Adam accuse prosecutors of hiding facts from jurors.
As Schar begins, Rod Blagojevich adjusts himself in his chair. In a low voice, the prosecutor says the former governor is smart and knows how to communicate — that’s how he got elected twice.
That stands in contrast to the way Sam Adam Jr. describes the ex-governor — as an insecure man, not the “sharpest knife” of the bunch, at the mercy of his advisers.
Schar, wearing a gray suit and a red tie, is looking right at jury, bouncing a finger at them, looking down at transcripts.
~ ~ ~
Last word in the Blagojevich trial: Prosecutor to give government rebuttal
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 1:59 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar’s parents are sitting in the front row, waiting to hear from their son.
Schar, who has been on the case since the beginning, is sitting quietly at the prosecution table.
He’s likely to unleash his own fury in his rebuttal after hearing Adam accuse prosecutors of hiding facts from jurors.
~ ~ ~
Sam Adam Jr. concludes closing argument with plea to jurors: Ask youself, “What would Sam say?”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 1:50 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Winding down, Sam Adam Jr. tells the jury he may have forgotten to tell them a few things, but if they are are stuck in jury room, they should ask themselves one question. “Now, what would Sam say about this?”
The all-about-business juror hears this and lurches forward in his chair in seeming amazement. But Adam keeps a straight face, despite groan-like laughter from the gallery.
Finally, after an 80-minute roller coaster of screaming and pacing, Sam Adam Jr.’s much-anticipated closing ends on a hushed tone.
“Find this man not guilty,” Adam tells the jury in a whisper. “This is serious stuff ... He never intended on extorting anybody.”
“I can’t tell you what this case is about any better than this,” he says, and one last time dramatically gestures to his co-counsel.
“Elliott,” he says, cuing the tape. It’s Bob Greenlee talking to Rod.
“I’m very concerned,” Greenlee is heard saying. “I think it is very real ... People want to take you down for political reasons.”
Appointing oprah winfrey and other offbeat ideas:
:these are ideas that no one’s going to say:
Nobody’s gonna say that’s the sharpest knife in the drawer, right
When you go back to deliberate take some time to say what would sam say about this?
Find this man not guilty
This is serious stuff.
He never intended on extorting anybody (whispering)
I can’t tell you what this case is about any better than the one thing on tape...
~ ~ ~
Sam Adam Jr. on Patti allegations: “Kickbacks for work is a job, man!”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 1:31 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
A rare silence falls on the courtroom as Sam Adam Jr. hangs his head dramatically. He’s just notched his eighth objection in 20 minutes.
The judge tells him not to refer to prosecutors directly.
“OK. Forget who wrote the indictment,” Adam says, then starts onto his next question.
Prosecutors Reid Schar and Chris Niewoehner, not looking at each other, shake their heads in unison.
Adam turns to prosecutors’ claims that Patti Blagojevich accepted kickbacks from Tony Rezko without doing any work. But she did do work, he argues.
“Kickback for work is a job, man!” he shouts, getting chuckles across the courtroom.
He stretches, pointing across the room at Patti Blagojevich, who’s wearing a white blouse and is sitting in the front bench.
He seems to be toeing the line, hinting at the missing witness issue. He mentions testimony from Sean Conlon, a witness who sold property to Brian Hynes. According to testimony, Hynes asked Conlon to tack on an extra commission for Patti Blagojevich, although Conlon said Patti did no work for it.
Why was Conlon called to testify and not Hynes, Adam asked the jury — but he worded it carefully, and Zagel never sat him down.
~ ~ ~ ~
Sam Adam Jr.: Rod Blagojevich is “broke, man, BROKE!”
By Sarah Ostman
on July 27, 2010 1:12 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Sam Adam Jr. leaps back into his closing argument. The topic? The ex-governor’s $400,000 wardrobe.
Jurors learned a few weeks ago that Rod Blagojevich spent $400,000 on clothes during his six years in the governor’s seat — largely on custom suits and pricey ties.
“You know why he spent $400,000 on suits in six years?” Adam says. “Because he’s a politician. A CEO for the state of Illinois. He’s on the front page of the paper every day. They have media every day. You gotta look the part.”
“Why did Sarah Palin spend $150,000 on her wardrobe?” he says. “Now she’s getting $150,000 for a speech.”
“He’s broke, man, BROKE! When I say broke, I mean BROKE!”
Adam brings up that Blagojevich paid $500,000 in federal taxes while he was governor. That was really his No. 1 expenditure during those years — a fact the government failed to tell the jury, Adam says.
“He’s paying for his own prosecution!” Adam screams, pointing to the prosecution table. “This is crazy!”
Prosecutor Carrie Hamilton looks up and stares into the distance.
Blago’s finances have been a hot topic during the trial. The government has portrayed him as money-hungry and drowning in debt, as reasons for his alleged swindling. The defense has portrayed him as a flat-out family man — proof that he didn’t take any bribes.
~ ~ ~
Rod Blagojevich to supporter: “That’s in case I run for office again”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 1:00 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
After a shorter-than-usual lunch break, we’re waiting for the judge to take his seat.
In the courtroom, Rod Blagojevich autographs a sketch of himself and a supporter, thanking her for her “good wishes.” He tells her she’s much more beautiful in real life.
“That’s in case I run for office again,” he says, looking up at the media.
Blagojevich held court during lunch at the fruit cart in the courthouse cafeteria, discussing the case with well-wishers and telling one young fan, “Good luck in school.”
Attorney Sam Adam Jr. is picking up where he left off with his closing argument, urging jurors to “follow the money” in a state pension deal that prosecutors say the ex-governor rigged to benefit donors at Bear Stearns.
Earlier, Adam echoed a theme from his opening statement — that Rod Blagojevich is an “insecure” man who was wronged by his more capable underlings.
“He’s got absolutely horrible judgment on people. That’s this case. And they want you to find him guilty of these horrible things because of that,” Adam told the jury.
“That man wasn’t trying to sell a Senate seat,” he said at another point. “He was trying to get 300,000 people health care. He was trying to make sure a capital bill would result. He was trying to make sure disabled veterans didn’t have to pay property taxes.”
~ ~ ~
Zagel: “This is all I have to say ... because it’s all I have to say, it’s all you have to say.”
By Natasha Korecki
on July 27, 2010 12:34 PM
###
Reid Schar objected to Sam Adam’s attempts to make reference to state of Illinois lawyer Bill Quinlan as the head ethics officer. Adam is trying to cite advice from Quinlan to Rod Blagojevich while characterizing Quinlan as an ethics officer.
The two sides bitterly hash this out over break, as defense lawyer Aaron Goldstein uncharacteristically grows loud, saying that two deputy governors “their witnesses” testified that Quinlan was also head of ethics in the state.
“Why are we discussing this if you just refuse to accept my ruling?” Judge James Zagel tells Goldstein.
“At the momentum of this kind of closing argument, people make misstatements...
You are giving them an opportunity to stop the freight train. You don’t want them to stop the freight train. One way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to make sure he speaks with precision about the testimony and about the dates,” Zagel tells Goldstein, urging him to give transcripts to Adam and sort out the specifics.
Zagel has sustained at least a dozen objections from the prosecution and Adam has visibly protested — and even mocked the prosecution for interrupting him.
Zagel suggested Adam can stave off the interruptions if he’s sure to accurately go through details in the case. Fudging will not help him with the jury, Zagel said.
“Go to the testimony and make sure you’re right on all of these little details. Then instead of ‘objection sustained,’ you’re going to get “objection overruled,” if you get any objections at all.”
Unlikely.
“This is all I have to say at this point, and because it’s all I have to say, it’s all you have to say,” Zagel said, bidding adieu for a short break.
~ ~ ~
Sam Adam Jr. questions Chicago Academy charge: Football field got made, where is the fund-raiser?
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 12:23 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
Sam Adam Jr. tried to dismiss the charge that Rod Blagojevich told underlings to lean on then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel to have his brother, big-time Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, hold a fund-raiser for his campaign.
That could not be true, Adam argued, because then-Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk testified that he continued to report to Blagojevich every day for two months after he supposedly defied Blagojevich’s alleged command to try to shake down Emanuel.
“What governor gets caught in a shakedown by Bradley Tusk, who works for him, and continues to work for him for two months?” Adam shouted. “And he didn’t fire Bradley Tusk? Give me a break!”
The government says Blagojevich held up a $2 million grant to build a football field at Chicago Academy, a school In Emanuel’s congressional district, and told Tusk to tell Emanuel to get his brother to hold a fund-raiser.
Emanuel apparently never got the message and Blagojevich gradually and belatedly let go of the grant after contractors threatened to walk off the project, prosecutors said.
“Chicago Academy is an example of what they did RIGHT!” Adam said. “Rahm Emanuel says they should get a grant — which they GOT! They wanted a football field. It got made.”
“The darn football field — that got made! What fund-raiser did he get? None!!!” he screamed.
Adam also mocked testimony that Rod Blagojevich hid in the bathroom from budget director John Filan.
“In the bathroom?!” Adam yells. He says Rod was the governor, he could just tell his secretary not to let people into his office.
Again, Adam questions the entirety of the case — including the alleged shakedown of Rahm Emanuel that Bradley Tusk testified about.
“C’mon. These are the feds!” Adam says, pointing to the prosecution table. “And this is what they bring you? Come on.”
What now? LOL.
Going to the jury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Updates;
________
Judge James Zagel to jury: “You’ve heard all the evidence and the arguments”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 3:17 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
The prosecution finishes its rebuttal and Judge Zagel adjourns court for the day.
‘Members of the jury, you’ve heard all the evidence and the arguments,” he tells them.
He tells the jury it is especially important now that they avoid news reports and not talk about the case, and asks them to return in the morning for jury instructions.
That will be followed by day one of deliberations. Court is scheduled to reconvene at 9 a.m.
~ ~ ~
Prosecutor Reid Schar: There is no conspiracy here — “the time for accountability for these crimes is now”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 3:12 PM
Reporting with Natasha Korecki, Dave McKinney and Abdon Pallasch
###
For the first time since Michael Ettinger delivered his closing argument yesterday, Robert Blagojevich’s name is brought up in the courtroom.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar recalls Robert’s testimony that he kept fund-raising and politics separate, keeping out of his brother’s government affairs. But then, Schar said, Robert testified about a long list of occasions when he did mix the two.
“He’s got an excuse for every one,” Schar said. “It’s OK because my brother asked me to ... It’s OK because it’s Mary Stewart’s relative ... It’s OK because I was trying to be courteous to a guy who was very likeable.”
“There is no doubt def Blagojevich dragged his brother into this bribery scheme,” he says, referring to Robert’s charges surrounding the U.S. Senate seat.
Schar also tackles Adam’s earlier remark that Blagojevich paid $500,000 in federal taxes while he was governor.
“This concept that he paid a bunch of money to taxes,” the prosecutor says. “There’s no special tax rate for defendant Blagojevich. He paid his fair share.”
And he recalls the last tape Adam played in his closing argument, which suggested that Blagojevich’s inner circle was trying to “take him down.”
“There’s a conspiracy of liars,” Schar says. “Everyone’s lying to frame defendant Blagojevich .... It’s one of the great frame-ups of all time.”
“What’s amazing about this massive conspiracy, not only are these people lying, they somehow managed to get def Blagojevich on the tapes you’ve heard to frame himself!” he says. “Somehow they’ve managed to do that.”
“And worse, he has a motive to commit these crimes!” he says, recalling testimony that Blagojevich was deep in debt and worried about his future career.
“The evidence in this case has proven both these defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” Schar concluded. “We ask that you provide a guilty verdict on all counts. The time for accountability for these crimes is now.”
~ ~ ~
Prosecutor Reid Schar: Rod Blagojevich “is the accidentally corrupt governor? I mean, come on.”
By Sarah Ostman on July 27, 2010 2:29 PM
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.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/blago/
Good stuff. As a defense attorney who loves closing argument drama, this is fun to read and imagine.
It is .. being there must be stratospheric drama .. ;)
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