Blagojevich takes stand at corruption retrial
CHICAGO - Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich took the stand in his own defense for the first time Thursday in his trial on corruption charges, finally fulfilling a long-delayed promise to make a case for himself before a federal jury.
Ever the politician, Blagojevich introduced himself to jurors with what could have nearly been a campaign slogan: "I'm Rod Blagojevich, I used to be your governor," he said. "I'm here today to tell you the truth."
In his first minutes on the stand, Blagojevich's attorneys tried to show his human side -- asking questions about his upbringing, allowing him to discuss his first Little League hit, his love of basketball and how his father left the family at one point to work on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to 20 federal corruption charges, including allegations he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for personal gain. A jury deadlocked on most charges during the first trial last year, when Blagojevich's attorneys rested without calling a single witness despite his sometimes bombastic insistence that he would testify.
The ex-governor appeared a bit nervous Thursday, but often addressed jurors directly and proved he be a formidable witness if he maintains his cool. He wasted little time in addressing his infamous profanity-laced tirades caught on FBI wiretaps.
"I'd like to apologize to the men and women for those words ... when you hear `em it makes you wince ... when I hear myself swearing like that, I am an F-ing jerk," he told jurors.
Still, nearly an hour into testimony, the specifics of the allegations against him had not been broached. He hinted though at the explanations he might offer for what his defense has described as possibly ugly -- but not illegal -- politics.
"A lot of what I am, deep down there are a lot of insecurities," he said. "That can drive you ... and also have petty sides, flaws, fears."
Blagojevich took the stand after his attorneys asked for a mistrial Thursday, accusing prosecutors of not playing fair in broaching an incident in testimony the day before that may have badly damaged Blagojevich in jurors' eyes.
The defense asked for the mistrial on the basis of testimony by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, in which the congressman said during cross-examination that his wife didn't get a promised appointment to head the Illinois Lottery after Jackson refused to give Blagojevich a $25,000 campaign donation.
Thursday's motion says the defense made clear in previous closed meetings with the judge that they objected to Jackson bringing the alleged incident up. And it says the defense carefully crafted its questions of Jackson so as not to give prosecutors the chance to broach it.
Defense attorneys did not object to the testimony at the time, but they said they didn't miscalculate in putting Jackson on the stand, the motion says.
"The only decision by the defense that, in retrospect, may have been unwise was to trust the government to abide by the rules and play fair, and to trust that this Court would hold the government to the same standard as the defense," it says.