Feds Hit Blago's Wife With Subpoena

After dispute over closing argument, Sam Adam Jr. departs

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich's lawyer left a federal courthouse in Chicago today without delivering his closing argument after the judge threatened to cite him for contempt of court, the Tribune reports . Sam Adam Jr. wanted to tell jurors about witnesses the government didn't call and planned to contend that their testimony would have bolstered the former Illinois governor's case. "You cannot argue against the law," the judge, James Zagel, told him. "It doesn’t do your client any good to have his lawyer held in contempt." More»

And he might move to New York, where no one has told him to 'F off' yet

(NEWSER) - When it comes to political memoirs, Rod Blagojevich’s The Governor: Finally, the Truth Behind the Political Scandal That Continues to Rock the Nation “is surely unsurpassed” in the areas of “febrile self-defensiveness and look-over-there deflections and deceptions,” writes David Remnick for the New Yorker. “No sun can melt Blago’s coif, which descends like a silken espresso curtain and then swerves suddenly to the side, revealing a gaze most innocent.” More»

(NEWSER) - The people of Illinois have voted in a Chicago Tribune contest to name Rod Blagojevich’s upcoming memoir, and the winner is: Rod and the Giant Impeach. “I thought of the impeachment of the governor, and about my childhood,” the winner said of his inspiration, which scored him a 3-pound beef tongue. Runners-up: From Hair to Profanity; They Paid Me a [Bleeping] Bucket of Cash to Write This [Bleeping] Book; and God is My Comb Pilot. More»

Replacement denies deal to keep him on as 'incapacitated governor'

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich said today that shortly after his December arrest by federal authorities, he was approached by “leading senators” who offered him a chance to stay on as an “incapacitated governor,” the Chicago Tribune reports. The deal, which the now-impeached governor rejected, would have been contingent on him not appointing a replacement to Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. More»

Chicago power broker says daughter's hubby hoped to avoid ouster

(NEWSER) - Illinois' newest ex-governor wanted to jump before he was pushed, Rod Blagojevich's estranged father-in-law tells the Chicago Sun-Times. Richard Mell, a powerful Chicago alderman credited with launching Blago's career, says his son-in-law, despite his denials, wanted to avoid being ousted "but he didn't reach out to anybody" in state government. More»