Blago Guilty on 1 Count: Lying to FBI

They threw 'the kitchen sink' at me and failed

(NEWSER) - Because federal prosecutors got Rod Blagojevich on only 1 of 24 counts , we get to do this all over again. Let the posturing begin, as rounded up by the Chicago Tribune :

• Rod Blagojevich: "The government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, and on every charge but one they could not prove that I broke any laws except one, a nebulous charge from five years ago." And as to that conviction: "I did not lie to the FBI. I told the truth from the very beginning."
• Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald: "We intend to retry those charges. That's it."

Judge wants them to keep deliberating

(NEWSER) - The Rod Blagojevich jury continues to be stuck: On its 12th day of deliberations, jurors informed the judge that they've settled on only two counts (it's not clear which ones), remain deadlocked on 11 others, and haven't even begun deliberating the remaining 11 related to wire fraud charges. The judge is instructing them to try to tackle the wire fraud counts before they pack it in, reports the Chicago Tribune . More»

But he can still talk to the press

(NEWSER) - Geez, now Rod Blagojevich is going to have sit still during his corruption trial. The judge today blocked his perfectly rational plan to issue live tweets from the courtroom, reports the Chicago Tribune . Judge Zagel didn't bar Blagojevich from making his many public statements before and after the proceedings, though he warned the ex-governor they could haunt him if he eventually testifies. "I'm quite sure it has been explained by his attorneys," Zagel said. AP has the opening arguments here . More»

Ex-gov is less than crystal clear in his testimony

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich finally got a chance to explain his infamous description of Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat as "f---ing golden" but he did a pretty poor job of it. "I'm afraid to answer this, but I'm not quite sure how to answer it," the former Illinois governor told his corruption retrial when his attorney asked him to explain the statement. "I was saying this opportunity is f---ing golden, that's what I was saying," he said, after a pause. "I knew it was a unique opportunity." More»

Messy campaign finance system explains Blago verdict: Scott Turow

(NEWSER) - An Illinois jury's failure to convict Rod Blagojevich on bribery-related charges despite damning evidence starts to make sense when you look at America's shambolic campaign finance system, argues Scott Turow. The huge number of loopholes, together with the Supreme Court's decision to lift restrictions on corporate campaign donations, has turned the system into "little more than a form of legalized influence-buyin," the lawyer and best-selling author writes in the New York Times . More»