FBI's Blagojevich Wiretaps Heard At Trial
Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker waves at his victory party Tuesday, June 5, 2012, in Waukesha, Wis. Walker defeated Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a special recall election. / AP Photo/Morry Gash
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was hundreds of miles away but his voice boomed through the Illinois Senate's chambers Tuesday as his impeachment jurors listened to FBI wiretaps of conversations in which he seems to demand campaign contributions in exchange for signing legislation.
One person on the assures Blagojevich that a horse-racing track owner "is good for it" and just has to decide "what accounts to get it out of." Another assures him the track owner knows he must keep his "commitment" soon.
Blagojevich replies with comments like "good" and "good job." Legislation sought by the racing industry had been sent to the governor's desk, and on the tapes, he says to reassure a racing lobbyist he hopes "to do this so we can get together and start picking some dates to do a bill-signing."
Senators conducting the trial, which Blagojevich is boycotting though it could remove him from office within days, listened intently as the fuzzy, indistinct conversations echoed through the room - the heating system, reporters typing on laptops and the occasional cough accounting for the only other noise.
Neither the governor nor the others on the call - the governor's brother and chief fundraiser Robert Blagojevich and former chief of staff Lon Monk, officials say - specifically mentions money or any amounts.
The governor was arrested last month on a variety of corruption charges, including scheming to benefit from appointing President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate replacement and demanding campaign contributions in exchange for state services. He denies any wrongdoing and neither his brother nor Monk has been charged.
Before the tapes were played Tuesday, an FBI agent vouched for the accuracy of those and other Blagojevich quotes that were included the federal criminal complaint against him.
The affidavit quoted Blagojevich saying his power to name a replacement to Obama's vacant Senate seat was a "valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." Ellis asked if that was accurate. Yes, Cain replied.
As Blagojevich's private words took center stage in Springfield, the governor remained in New York for the second day of a media tour focused on portraying the impeachment as unfair and politically motivated.
The embattled Illinois governor said on The Early Show Tuesday he's skipping his impeachment trial in the Illinois State Senate because he knows the lawmakers will kick him out of office, so he's bringing his case to the court of public opinion, instead.
"If present trends continue," Blagojevich said, "I'll be out of work in the not-too-distant future. I'm not delusional in terms of what my likelihood of success is to convince those senators to give me a fair trial."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Blagojevich did not directly answer when asked whether he will step aside quietly if convicted by the Senate.
"I'll respect the law and the Constitution and the rules," he said, "and whether or not there are legal remedies to pursue beyond this we haven't really discussed ... but I'm not going to rule out what some of those options might be."
Blagojevich also said he hasn't done anything to prepare state government for the switch to a new governor.
"This was completely unexpected and not something that we envisioned happening," he said.
Blagojevich doesn't deny making the comments alleged by federal prosecutors. But he says they were taken out of context and don't amount to anything illegal.
"In the end, a lot of it was talk and exploring ideas," Blagojevich told the AP. "I never, ever intended to violate any criminal law."
The allegation at the center of the tapes played for senators is that Blagojevich pressured John Johnston, owner of two Chicago-area harness-racing tracks, to donate money by the end of 2008, when a new ethics law would restrict donations.
Prosecutors say Blagojevich threatened not to sign legislation giving tracks a portion of casino-generated revenue unless he got the donation.
It's not clear whether Johnston ever made a donation; federal prosecutors have seized Blagojevich's campaign records. Johnston has not been charged with any illegal activity.
The about five minutes of recordings played Tuesday represent only a handful of the many made during the federal investigation. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is keeping most of the recordings secret, but permitted senators to hear the material dealing with just the horse track allegation.
Blagojevich's arrest triggered impeachment proceedings in the Illinois Legislature, where lawmakers have spent six years butting heads with Blagojevich. The House voted 117-1 to impeach Blagojevich - the only "no" came from his sister-in-law - and now the Senate is conducting a trial on whether to remove him.
Blagojevich says the trial is meant to get him out of the way so Springfield insiders can raise income taxes. He also says the Senate's trial rules are so biased that he can't present a real defense.
Neither the prosecution nor the defense is allowed to summon any witnesses whose testimony might interfere with federal prosecutors' criminal case against Blagojevich, although their public statements could be introduced as evidence. But Blagojevich has not asked to call witnesses or present any evidence at all, and said he does not plan to participate in any way.
Senate President John Cullerton says it's not too late for Blagojevich to defend himself at the impeachment trial instead of pleading his case to the media.
Seats for Blagojevich and his attorney sat empty in the Senate chamber, where Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald has ordered the trial to go forward as if Blagojevich had entered a not guilty plea.
No other Illinois governor has been impeached, let alone convicted in a Senate trial. It would take a two-thirds majority - or 40 of the 59 senators - to remove Blagojevich. The Senate also could bar him from ever again holding office in Illinois.
If the Senate votes to oust Blagojevich, Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn would replace him.
The outcome of Blagojevich's impeachment trial has no legal impact on a separate criminal case against the governor. No trial date has been set on those charges.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. One person on the assures Blagojevich that a horse-racing track owner "is good for it" and just has to decide "what accounts to get it out of." Another assures him the track owner knows he must keep his "commitment" soon.
Blagojevich replies with comments like "good" and "good job." Legislation sought by the racing industry had been sent to the governor's desk, and on the tapes, he says to reassure a racing lobbyist he hopes "to do this so we can get together and start picking some dates to do a bill-signing."
Senators conducting the trial, which Blagojevich is boycotting though it could remove him from office within days, listened intently as the fuzzy, indistinct conversations echoed through the room - the heating system, reporters typing on laptops and the occasional cough accounting for the only other noise.
Neither the governor nor the others on the call - the governor's brother and chief fundraiser Robert Blagojevich and former chief of staff Lon Monk, officials say - specifically mentions money or any amounts.
The governor was arrested last month on a variety of corruption charges, including scheming to benefit from appointing President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate replacement and demanding campaign contributions in exchange for state services. He denies any wrongdoing and neither his brother nor Monk has been charged.
Before the tapes were played Tuesday, an FBI agent vouched for the accuracy of those and other Blagojevich quotes that were included the federal criminal complaint against him.
Again and again, agent Daniel Cain told state senators he had accurately quoted Blagojevich in a sworn affidavit filed when the governor was arrested. At each stage, House prosecutor David Ellis displayed the most damning quote on a poster board.
Listen to audio and read transcripts of the wiretaps played at the trial.
The affidavit quoted Blagojevich saying his power to name a replacement to Obama's vacant Senate seat was a "valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." Ellis asked if that was accurate. Yes, Cain replied.
As Blagojevich's private words took center stage in Springfield, the governor remained in New York for the second day of a media tour focused on portraying the impeachment as unfair and politically motivated.
The embattled Illinois governor said on The Early Show Tuesday he's skipping his impeachment trial in the Illinois State Senate because he knows the lawmakers will kick him out of office, so he's bringing his case to the court of public opinion, instead.
"If present trends continue," Blagojevich said, "I'll be out of work in the not-too-distant future. I'm not delusional in terms of what my likelihood of success is to convince those senators to give me a fair trial."
In an interview with The Associated Press, Blagojevich did not directly answer when asked whether he will step aside quietly if convicted by the Senate.
"I'll respect the law and the Constitution and the rules," he said, "and whether or not there are legal remedies to pursue beyond this we haven't really discussed ... but I'm not going to rule out what some of those options might be."
Blagojevich also said he hasn't done anything to prepare state government for the switch to a new governor.
"This was completely unexpected and not something that we envisioned happening," he said.
Blagojevich doesn't deny making the comments alleged by federal prosecutors. But he says they were taken out of context and don't amount to anything illegal.
Video: "In the end, a lot of it was talk and exploring ideas," Blagojevich told the AP. "I never, ever intended to violate any criminal law."
The allegation at the center of the tapes played for senators is that Blagojevich pressured John Johnston, owner of two Chicago-area harness-racing tracks, to donate money by the end of 2008, when a new ethics law would restrict donations.
Prosecutors say Blagojevich threatened not to sign legislation giving tracks a portion of casino-generated revenue unless he got the donation.
It's not clear whether Johnston ever made a donation; federal prosecutors have seized Blagojevich's campaign records. Johnston has not been charged with any illegal activity.
The about five minutes of recordings played Tuesday represent only a handful of the many made during the federal investigation. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is keeping most of the recordings secret, but permitted senators to hear the material dealing with just the horse track allegation.
Blagojevich's arrest triggered impeachment proceedings in the Illinois Legislature, where lawmakers have spent six years butting heads with Blagojevich. The House voted 117-1 to impeach Blagojevich - the only "no" came from his sister-in-law - and now the Senate is conducting a trial on whether to remove him.
Blagojevich says the trial is meant to get him out of the way so Springfield insiders can raise income taxes. He also says the Senate's trial rules are so biased that he can't present a real defense.
Neither the prosecution nor the defense is allowed to summon any witnesses whose testimony might interfere with federal prosecutors' criminal case against Blagojevich, although their public statements could be introduced as evidence. But Blagojevich has not asked to call witnesses or present any evidence at all, and said he does not plan to participate in any way.
Senate President John Cullerton says it's not too late for Blagojevich to defend himself at the impeachment trial instead of pleading his case to the media.
Seats for Blagojevich and his attorney sat empty in the Senate chamber, where Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald has ordered the trial to go forward as if Blagojevich had entered a not guilty plea.
No other Illinois governor has been impeached, let alone convicted in a Senate trial. It would take a two-thirds majority - or 40 of the 59 senators - to remove Blagojevich. The Senate also could bar him from ever again holding office in Illinois.
If the Senate votes to oust Blagojevich, Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn would replace him.
The outcome of Blagojevich's impeachment trial has no legal impact on a separate criminal case against the governor. No trial date has been set on those charges.
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He really is nuts if he thinks anyone cares about public opinion.
There was also mentioned in the indictment a group of politicals who were associated with Blagojevich and his kickback dealings; I want to know who these people are. Unfortunately, it was leaked that he was being tapped and the story broke; otherwise this agent was working to get more evidence against him. There is more to the story than just this corrupt politician.
THEY do not want him either. They are only interested in successful (unindicted) crooks. :))
Posted by PVperson at 04:19 PM : Jan 27, 2009
Yup. The word used in court is conspiracy. And in one of the most amusing/frightening rulings I have ever heard of, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a decision in which the Court determined that you could ''conspire'' with yourself. Talk about a blank check for prosecutors. Of course, you would have to tell somebody about your ''conspiracy''. In which case you would really be going to jail for being stupid.:)
exactly, notice the Feds DIDN''''''''T say he actually ASKED anyone for money. Is it illegal to "think" about doing something?
Posted by PVperson at 04:19 PM : Jan 27, 2009
Yes---- it''''s a matter of intent. If you attempt to hire someone to knock-off your wife, but it doesn''''t happen--- yu''''re still guilty due to the intent.
But, what most people fail to realize, criminal guilt is of no importance in an impeachment proceeding. He needs not be criminally guilty of anything. Impeachment does not conform to the typical rules of law as they apply to a trial in a court of law. Impeachment proceedings are a legislative remedy to remove someone from elected office. If the legislature got together and decided they didn''''t like the color of his hair he could be impeached and removed from office if they obtained the required votes in the legislature!
Posted by Roscoe2400 at 06:41 PM : Jan 27, 2009
AND, it works the other way too. You can be guilty as sin of a crime but if you are a popular Presi--er--I mean Governor, then you can be impeached but not ''found guilty'' and removed from office. The whole thing is a political process included in the constitution by the founding fathers in order to help ensure that the chief executive officer did not try to behave like a king.
Posted by TexHillGirl at 09:29 PM : Jan 27, 2009"
I knew she and I''d agree on something someday. I know better than to mess with Texas.