Posted on 08/29/2010 10:25:10 PM PDT by Nachum
CHICAGO (AP) - As attorneys and defendants scanned jurors faces for favorable signs during ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial, most couldn't get a read on the pokerfaced grandmother at the far end of the jury box taking meticulous notes.
JoAnn Chiakulas, a retired state employee, turned out to be the lone holdout standing in the way of a conviction of the ousted governor on charges he tried to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.
Nine days after jurors deadlocked on all but one charge against Blagojevich, Chiakulas publicly defended her resolve for the first time in an interview published Friday by the Chicago Tribune, filling out a picture of tense juror deliberations and feeding debate about her role.
Chiakulas, 67, stood by her vote, saying she found Blagojevich's statements captured on FBI wiretap recordings so disorganized and scattered that his actions did not amount to a criminal conspiracy.
"I thought he was just rambling," she told the Tribune. "I could never live with myself if I went along with the rest of the jury."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Blagojevich, as a public elected official, is a crook, pure and simple, for trying to sell off a Senate seat as well as numerous other actions he is guilty of. It’s ridiculous to think that the possible existence of other Blagojevich level scum could be considered an excuse for his actions.
Blago was a useless Governor who hid in the bathroom to avoid meeting State reps and senators when he was in Springfield (which was extremely rare). He lived in Chicago and took the State jet back and forth to work in Springfield almost on a daily basis (when congress was in session). He’s a half wit that couldn’t make a decision to save his life.
With that said the only good thing out of this is the indictments against his brother Robert have been dropped. So come January, Blago goes back on trial and he wont be so lucky this time. He’d do well to plea bargain a reduced sentence.
And another thought that hit me after I’d posted the last one is for the same reason half of you on here seem to be on Blago’s side is why our country is in the mess its in today.
Some good lookin’ dude with a slick tongue and your all marching in line waiting for your orders.
I kind of feel that way also. Politics, especially in IL, is a dirty business.
I’d have no problem with both of them being in jail. Just because Fitzgerald is a bad guy, doesn’t make Blago innocent. They’re not mutually exclusive.
Unfortunately, there really is no way to totally clean out the corruption in our political and judicial systems, and mete out true justice. That will be for a ‘later time.’
If Blago is guilty then so is Obama who made the offer.
U.S. Atty. Patrick J. Fitzgerald f'ed up again.
Free Scooter Libby!
So rampant crime by all is, by itself, the reason to excuse it?
Not 'wrong' necessarily, but things do happen. Damage control, as you say.
Do you often talk to yourself like that?
Not at all - but taking comments out of context to try to prove the case, rather than showing the full extent of political corruption on all sides and the true intent of the speaker should be. Fitzgerald lost all credibility when he continued to pursue Scooter Libby on the same kind of charges that Blago was convicted of (lying to the feds). Fitzgerald knew that Libby did not reveal Valerie Plame’s CIA identity, but was determined to hang someone out to dry.
In the machinations to fill Obama’s Senate seat, Blago did nothing different from what Obama did with Joe Sestak and Andrew Romanoff, yet that is given a pass.
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