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Politics & The Nation
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THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010 After vowing to testify, Blagojevich chooses silence
Defense rests without calling any witnesses in federal corruption trial
by Peter Slevin SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
Rod Blagojevich, former Illinois governor, said the government had proven him innocent.
chicago – Pugnacious former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich did something rare in his history on Wednesday: He retreated. After vowing to testify at his
federal corruption trial, Blagojev- ich (D) concluded that the risk was too great and chose silence. The defense rested its case with- out calling a single witness, set- ting up high-stakes closing argu- ments next week in a contest that will rise or fall on the govern- ment’s largely unrebutted evi- dence. Jurors heard Blagojevich’s ex-
pletive-filled scheming on hours of secretly recorded FBI tapes, but they will not hear him “tell the
people of Illinois exactly what was on my mind and what I was trying to do,” as he recently promised. Instead, with the evidence por- tion of the trial suddenly com- plete, Blagojevich took his argu- ment to his preferred audience, standing before dozens of report- ers in the courthouse lobby and declaring that the government had proven him innocent, not guilty. “The government proved that I never took a corrupt dollar, I nev-
er took a corrupt dime, not a cor- rupt nickel, not a corrupt penny,” Blagojevich said. Six weeks of prosecution tapes and testimony only showed him “brainstorming,” said Blagojev- ich, who took no questions. “Yes, they proved some of the ideas were stupid,” he said. “But they proved some of the ideas were good.” The decision reverses the de- fense team’s opening promise to jurors and means an early conclu-
sion to a trial that has revealed years of wheeling and dealing by an ambitious but cash-strapped Chicago pol who fancied himself reaching the White House one day. The prosecution called it a
racketeering conspiracy in a 24- count indictment that charged perjury,
fraud and repeated
shakedowns of businessmen for campaign cash. The defense dis- misses the ex-governor’s maneu- vers as Illinois politics as usual – unsavory, perhaps, but hardly criminal.
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by Michael W. Savage Two federal lawsuits were filed
Wednesday against the small town of Fremont, Neb., seeking to overturn a controversial ordi- nance banning illegal immi- grants from renting homes or taking jobs. Fremont, a rural town with a
population of about 25,000, found itself at the front line of the immigration debate when it passed the law after a special election last month. It was due to go into effect July 29, but a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union seeks an immediate in- junction while the legal battle is taking place. The Mexican Amer- ican Legal Defense and Educa- tional Fund also filed suit against the city.
About 45 percent of the town’s eligible voters turned out for the special election, approving the ordinance 57 percent to 43 per- cent. Supporters of the law said it was needed because illegal im- migrants were taking away jobs from legal workers and because the federal government has re- fused to take sufficient action against illegal immigration. The ACLU’s lawsuit claims the
law is unconstitutional because immigration policy is the respon- sibility of the federal government. It also states that the measure risks committing racial profiling and fanning discrimination. “There’s a very palpable fear
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that is being expressed by our cli- ents on the ground already, ask- ing if they should just move out of Fremont,” said Amy Miller, legal director of ACLU Nebraska. “Ne- braska doesn’t need a law on its books that, like Arizona’s, is com- pletely out of step with American values of fairness and equality.” Miller was referring to an Ari- zona law that gives police the power to question anyone whom they have a “reasonable suspi- cion” is an illegal immigrant. The U.S. Justice Department has sued to overturn the law. Fremont’s immigrant popula- tion has grown over the past 20 years as foreign workers have been attracted by the meatpack- ing industry. According to census records for 2008, about 4.4 per- cent of its population was for- eign-born. Dean Skokan, Fremont’s city
attorney, said he could not com- ment on the suits because he had not yet seen them. He added that he expected to issue a statement Thursday. City officials are bracing for the costs of fighting the lawsuits. Other towns whose immigration measures were struck down in the courts, such as Hazleton, Pa., and Farmers Branch, Tex., have spent millions in legal fees. Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for
the Federation for American Im- migration Reform, which advo- cates tougher laws on illegal im- migration, said the lawsuits were an attempt to “intimidate local governments from taking action.” This ordinance “wasn’t just an
act of the city council. This was the voters of Fremont saying they wanted to do this,” he said.
savagem@washpost.com
Because Blagojevich had said so consistently that he would tes- tify, his change of heart startled the prosecution, which had counted on days or weeks of cross-examination to strengthen its case. Investigators had scoured the voluble former governor’s public statements for contradic- tions, while preserving audio- tapes and other evidence to be in- troduced in rebuttal. Blagojevich’s attorneys said
they were divided on the wisdom of their client testifying. They had also threatened to call White House Chief of Staff Rahm Eman- uel and others in an attempt to re- fute allegations that Blagojevich tried to peddle the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.
slevinp@washpost.com
Federal suits target Neb. immigration ordinance
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