Free Republic

Gov. Blagojevich’s lead lawyer has asked the Illinois House panel weighing whether to impeach the governor to subpoena three high-profile witnesses. The lawyer, Ed Genson, said Wednesday that testimony by Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to President-elect Barack Obama; U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Obama’s incoming chief of staff; and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), would bolster the governor’s contention that he did nothing wrong when it comes to filling Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate Seat. » Click to enlarge image Gov. Blagojevich's lead leader has asked the Illinois House panel to subpoena three high-profile witnesses. (AP) Blagojevich — who...

CHICAGO (AP) A federal judge in Chicago says she'll grant a request to delay George Ryan's racketeering trial after the former governor appeared in court to make a personal plea. Ryan said several times today that he was "begging" U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer to delay his March 14th trial. And his appeal worked. The trial date is now set for Sept. 26. Pallmeyer says she'll allow the delay so Ryan won't be forced to replace his top defense attorney, who has a scheduling conflict. The trial will now begin in September. Ryan told the judge that he came to...