Rod Blagojevich arrives with his wife Patti at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse this morning. (Alex Garcia/Tribune)
Prosecutors in Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial today played the first secretly recorded conversation between Blagojevich and his wife.
In the recording, the two discuss the possible benefits from filling the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. Patti Blagojevich said the best outcome for her husband might be “ambassador to India.”
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Also today:
John Harris, who served as chief of staff under Rod Blagojevich, testified that Blagojevich hoped to profit from filling the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
In a call played at the trial today, Blagojevich told Harris on Election Day 2008 that the appointment to fill Obama’s Senate seat would have to be good for Illinois “and it’s got to be good for me.” Blagojevich then raised the possibility of appointing himself to the seat.
Harris said he and Blagojevich also pursued a strategy to make the Obama camp believe Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan was being seriously considered for the Senate appointment when in fact she wasn’t. The hope was that Obama’s people would be more willing to reward Blagojevich for instead appointing Obama’s choice, Harris said.
Harris said Blagojevich was already thinking about filling the seat in the summer of 2008 when Obama’s election was no sure thing. The only serious talk at the time was about Blagojevich either appointing himself or Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Blagojevich’s strongest ally in the legislature.
Lawyers for Blagojevich filed a motion for a mistrial, saying U.S. District Judge James Zagel has prevented meaningful cross-examination of government witnesses by repeatedly sustaining prosecutors’ objections to their questions. Zagel quickly denied the motion.
Testimony shifted for a moment from the sale of the Senate seat to Blagojevich’s alleged attempt to get Tribune editorial writers fired in return for him backing a state deal on the purchase of Wrigley Field, then owned by the Tribune. Prosecutors played a tape for jurors in which Blagojevich directed Harris to go to Tribune executives about his desire for the firings because of critical editorials in the newspaper.
