Today featured the prosecution’s cross-examination of Rod Blagojevich’s brother Robert — and ended with the ex-governor’s lawyers saying their client may not take the stand after all. After all this build up, could Blago sit silently through his trial? What happened?
Blagojevich’s lawyers say they don’t think the prosecutors have proven their case. But The Chicago Sun-Times suggests keeping Rod off the stand may have something to do with Robert’s performance during cross examination. “In just the first 10 minutes of cross-examination Monday, Robert Blagojevich, who had overseen the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund, found himself contradicting his own statements and having to explain a secretly recorded and previously unheard conversation.” Today’s Moment of Blago comes from Robert, and via the Sun-Times.
Rod’s brother, Robert, is now back on the stand, being cross-examined by prosecutor Chris Niewoehner. Robert comes under fire for blurring the line between fund-raising and politics — a line that yesterday, Robert swore fervently to always uphold.
Niewoeher argues that Robert Blagojevich tried repeatedly to line up jobs for family members of people writing big checks for the governor. He points to the fact that on Nov. 8, 2008, Robert faxed the governor’s chief of staff a resume for Jennifer Wu — the niece of David Chang, a Korean community leader and Blago fund-raiser, and daughter of a $10,000 campaign donor.
Robert says he followed protocol — but acknowledged that “sometimes (government and fund-raising) bleed over.”
