Indictment Extension Not Necessarily Good News For Blago
As we noted earlier, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has asked for an extension in returning an indictment against embattled Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Does that spell trouble for his case? We asked CBS News Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen, and here are his thoughts:
I don't think it's particularly significant that the US Attorney's office has asked for an extension. It's clear that new information about the case is coming out and remember, too, that there was a rush to bring the charges against Blagojevich to help ensure he didn't complete any of the bribery schemes he is alleged to have started.
I don't think this suggests any weakness in the case against Blagojevich but I DO think that it's going to be fascinating to see how closely the indictment matches the complaint filed a few weeks ago. Will it be stronger? Weaker? more detailed? Less detailed? Remember, the indictment trumps the criminal complaint.
The feds say that the holidays are interfering with their ability to have a grand jury look at the evidence and that there are other reasons, filed in secret under seal, that they say warrants the delay. I think it's likely they will get that delay over any objections filed by the defense.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
I don't think this suggests any weakness in the case against Blagojevich but I DO think that it's going to be fascinating to see how closely the indictment matches the complaint filed a few weeks ago. Will it be stronger? Weaker? more detailed? Less detailed? Remember, the indictment trumps the criminal complaint.
The feds say that the holidays are interfering with their ability to have a grand jury look at the evidence and that there are other reasons, filed in secret under seal, that they say warrants the delay. I think it's likely they will get that delay over any objections filed by the defense.
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