Jamie Floyd | Bio
In Session

As you may know – or you may not – Rod Blagojevich has been indicted. The former governor of Illinois was finally indicted last week.

The announcement was exceptionally quiet, especially given the fanfare that followed his arrest late last year on charges of conspiring to gain financially from his appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. In a press conference held by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, he called the charges against Blagojevich “a truly new low” and gratuitously added that “the conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.” The 76 page FBI affidavit was laced with cuss words, the best bits read aloud, with seeming glee, across the 24/7 spectrum. There was also the unprecedented media tour conducted by the still-sitting governor on every outlet (including ours) to save his seat and perhaps change the course of criminal events.

It didn’t work.

Last Thursday, the feds handed down their indictment on 16 counts, including racketeering, fraud and extortion counts. Coming nearly four months after federal agents roused the governor out of his home in a pre-dawn arrest and weeks after lawmakers dumped him from office, the indictment of Blagojevich, his brother and four former top insiders was anti-climactic.

But that’s a good thing, if you ask me. This case shouldn’t be tried in the court of public opinion. It should be tried in a court of law. And now, it will be.

Ismael Estrada
AC360° Producer

It really wasn’t that long ago when people outside of Illinois didn’t know who Rod Blagojevich was. The Chicago Cubs held the crown of the biggest loser in Chicago. The Cubs faithful were fooled once again when the 2008 team, which was “supposed” to go to the World Series, was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Order was restored in windy city. Then Chicago sent one if its own to the White House. The city was buzzing, White Sox and Cubs fans were getting along, people were happier than they have been since Michael Jordan had this city on his shoulders.

Then the headlines on December 9th, 2008: “Governor Busted” “Prosecutors: Blagojevich tried to sell Obama’s vacant senate seat!”

It was as if the air had been let out of the city. The allegations were eye opening. Did our Governor really do what the U.S attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says he did? The prosecutors touted wire taps where conversations were recorded. There were allegations that he tried to have Chicago Tribune editorial writers fired in return for the state of Illinois helping structure a sale of Wrigley Field. Suddenly, everyone forgot about the Cubs. Everyone was talking about Rod Blagojevich.

I live not too far from the governor, about 8 blocks to be exact. Over the years we had grown accustomed to seeing the governor on his weekly jog around the neighborhood. People would nod, say hello, and allow him to go on. But suddenly those jogs were happening in the snow with photographers chasing him. Coffee shops and pubs around the city were filled with people talking about the allegations. Suddenly people were wondering whether players in the upcoming Obama administration were caught on tape with the governor.

Governor Blagojevich went on the talk show circuit while the Illinois Senate was debating his impeachment. He appeared on The View, Larry King, Campbell Brown, David Letterman, professing his innocence. He appointed Roland Burris to the open senate seat. A short time later, Blagojevich was impeached. He walked outside his home and again professed his innocence saying he was looking forward to his day in court.

A federal grand jury today handed up sweeping corruption charges against Blagojevich, his brother Robert Blagojevich, the Governor’s former chief of staff , his most recent chief of staff, his chief fundraiser, and an Illinois powerbroker. A columnist for the Chicago Tribune, John Kass, wrote that the country was getting a taste of Chicago doing politics as usual. He wrote that “By Chicago standards, Blagojevich isn’t crazy.”

Whether Blagojevich was doing business as usual, as Kass suggested, or not, the former governor’s day in court is coming. But for now, a patron in my local coffee shop suggested out loud, “ Blagojevich narrowly beats out the Cubs for the biggest loser in Chicago.”

Jami Floyd
In Session

Rod Blagojevich is back. After an arrest on charges that he tried to sell the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama; after he named relative unknown Roland Burris to the seat, generating a new storm of controversy; after he was finally impeached by the legislature in his home state of Illinois; after all that, Blagojevich is back — with a book deal.

Tentatively entitled “The Governor,” Blago’s book will chronicle his election to Congress and his election and re-election as governor. Of course, Blagojevich was also the first governor removed from office in Illinois history, but he wants to tell his side of the story.

He wants to write about what he calls “the phoniness and hypocrisy” of politicians: their drinking, womanizing and other bad behavior. For that, he will receive six figures, which is good for a former governor who is out of a six-figure job and who is facing the prospect of an expensive criminal case. The book could improve his image, not to mention make some money which he might need for his defense.

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Chicago Tribune
John Kass

Who the heck would ever plunk good money down to read a book titled "The Governor" by Rod Blagojevich?

That's the working title of Blagojevich's planned book, but it's a terrible title. That's why you readers are being enlisted to come up with a juicy, compelling title for our former Gov. Dead Meat's tell-all book, which was announced Monday.

If your title wins, you'll get a prize, and I mean a real prize this time, something tangible.

Because I'm writing the column, I get to go first. So how about this one:

"Et Tu, DeLeo?"

That's a reference to Blagojevich's former close friend, the former shadow governor of Illinois, state Sen. James DeLeo (D-How You Doin?), who abandoned Dead Meat and voted to remove him from office after all the good times they had.

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CNN

Illinois Sen. Roland Burris reiterated Monday that his sworn testimony regarding his contacts with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich was not inconsistent with what he later said in an affidavit.

The Democratic senator's comments come a day after Illinois Republican leaders called for a perjury investigation into whether Burris deceived the public last month when he failed to tell state lawmakers that Blagojevich's brother solicited him for campaign cash at the same time that the governor himself was considering whether to appoint him to fill the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

"We said in our testimony before the impeachment committee, my lawyer stated, that we will have to file additional information in our report because there were some questions asked where we had to get sufficient information for the committee," Burris said outside Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side before a five-day statewide "listening tour" of his new constituents.

"We also stated that we might be incomplete in our report," he said.

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Editor’s Note: You can read more Jami Floyd blogs on “In Session.”

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted at his impeachment trial shortly after delivering closing argument.

Jami Floyd
AC360° Contributor
In Session Anchor

Like a Shakespearean tragedy, the Blagojevich debacle just keeps getting better and better. Narcissism. Corruption. Colorful characters. And farce.

But it’s not funny. Not really. Because whatever really went down in this case, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. And Denmark isn’t the Prairie State. Rather, it’s a political state of mind in which entitlement and corruption have become the order of the day.

Blagojevich follows a long line of governors gone wild. Blagojevich’s predecessor, George Ryan, is in prison. We lost Eliot Spitzer to his own devices here in New York and Jim McGreevey in New Jersey before that. But their alleged crimes pale in comparison to Bernie Madoff and the larger scandals of Wall Street.

Add to that a Bush administration that has thus far escaped accountability for the lies it told: Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzalez. The Bush notion of accountability? “It is what it is.” Our last president passed the buck for his failures — including all that bad intelligence about WMD.

Now a new president is talking about a new accountability. But we won’t get it if we just pat ourselves on the back about Blagojevich and call it a day.

A worker replaces ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's picture with that of Pat Quinn.

Steve Brusk and Greg Morrison
CNN National Desk

Workers at the Illinois Capitol wasted little time Thursday night changing the face of state government, shortly after Governor Pat Quinn replaced the ousted Rod Blagojevich.

The “welcome” sign visitors to the Capitol in Springfield see as they enter the building with Blagojevich’s face at the top was quickly brought down, with state employees watching and cameras snapping away.

Maintenance crews arrived, first removing the gold nameplate with Blagojevich’s name. Using drills and a ladder, they then brought down the large 5-foot high sign to make the official change.

Positioned on top of a state outline and a silhouette of Lincoln, workers ripped away the official state picture of the former Governor. “Was that quick enough?” one worker said to laughter.

An employee standing nearby as the picture was taken away said, “do we need someone to throw a shoe?”

Moments later, the picture of then Lt. Gov. Quinn was removed and placed instead at the top. A worker said “to the left, there you go,” as the new Governor’s photograph was centered and taped in place.

On a day of drama and history in the nearby Senate chamber, it was a small moment. But to state workers, it was a symbolic one with a new face at the top in the middle of their Capitol.

Jack Gray
AC360° Associate Producer

I finally saw them. Rod Blagojevich’s bangs.  I saw them with my own eyes and I lived to tell about it.  The disgraced Governor of Illinois had just finished up Larry King Live and was, I can only assume, on his way to steal money from terminally ill children when he passed me in the hallway here at CNN.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, us walking toward each other.  It was a perfect example of why I need someone to follow me at all times with an iPod boombox playing the theme song from Chariots of Fire.

The governor had quite a large entourage, though I’m unsure if they were Illinois State Troopers there to protect him or U.S. Marshals there to make sure he didn’t flee the country.

 As he approached I quickly considered whether or not to say anything to him.  I opted not to; not because I didn’t have any questions – Why did you try sell the senate seat?  Who is paying for your trip to New York?  Do you have any advice on what I can do about these split ends? – but because there’s an unwritten rule that if someone is willing to come into CNN to tell their story we don’t hassle them in the hallway.

I mean, sure, there was that time I blew kisses at Angelina Jolie.  And Robert Redford, I still owe him an apology for asking him to record my outgoing voicemail.  But, Blagojevich, I didn’t want to delay him from getting to his next interview with Dionne Warwick and the Psychic Friends Network.  Plus, I have a fear of dandruff.

We made eye contact, the governor and I, albeit briefly.  He knew, of course, that I knew who he was.  He smiled slightly in that corrupt politician sort of way.  Believe me, he may have told Larry that he was innocent but the smirk on his face in that hallway said “only my hairdresser knows for sure.”

Mrs. Blagojevich did not appear to be traveling with him.  Unless she was downstairs in the Columbus Circle subway station mugging little old ladies.

He walked confidently and appeared to be soaking in all the attention.  But looking into his eyes – dollar signs where the retinas should be  – I could see that this is a man who knows his time is running out.  A man who knows all that remains between him and impeachment is a segment of basket weaving with Martha Stewart.  A man who knows his best hope is that his plane goes down in the Hudson River and he’s able to swim to New Jersey and start a new life as a bouncer at Jiggles Gentlemen’s Club.

The next thing I knew, Rod Blagojevich was getting onto the elevator and I was walking back to my desk.  And checking to make sure he hadn’t stolen my wallet.

Editor’s Note: You can read more Jami Floyd blogs on “In Session.”

Jami Floyd
AC360° Contributor
In Session Anchor

For two days running everyone’s been talking about Blagojevich. Not just because he's been talking to any media outlet that will have him, but also because he's been impeached; and he's about to be convicted of abuse of power in the Illinois state Senate.

And as the governor admitted right here on Best Defense yesterday, impeachment trials are rare - very rare. There is very little precedent for the impeachment of a sitting governor in Illinois or any where else.

So it's a big news story. But it’s also a bit of a sideshow - a distraction from what really matters. Like jobs, health care and how we are going to end the two wars we are fighting over seas. While we're all talking to and about Blagojevich, there is a sea change happening in Washington.

In just one week as President, Barack Obama has sent an envoy to the Middle East, ordered the closure of the detention center Guantanamo Bay, and visited Capitol Hill in a directed effort to get our economy back on track. These are the issues that matter most to Americans.

So while the Blagojevich story plays out lets all keep it in perspective. It's good theater. It is a reminder of the fallibility of our politicians. And it’s terribly ironic for the state that also gave us the transformational leader who is now our president. But let’s not confuse that irony with the real issues.

Jack M. Burkman
Political Strategist

As a conservative Republican and former Whitewater investigator, I should be the last person to support embattled Illinois Governor Blagojevich. But he is getting a raw deal in every sense and the time has come to rally to his defense.

First, Senate Democrats stepped onto dangerous ground when they seriously considered not seating Senator Roland Burris in December. The seating of a state's Federal representative is the single most important component of the American democracy. Why should Illinois remain in the union if Washington won't seat its senators? To suggest that Burris would not be seated simply because a prosecutor had made allegations against the governor is downright crazy. Is this to suggest that any time any governor is under a cloud, he loses his powers of appointment without even a fair trial? The potential in this precedent for disrupting the Union is mammoth. What if one group of states decides to "gang up" on another and not seat their senators? We as a people did not grasp the importance of the events of December. I commend Sen. Dianne Feinstein for having the guts and the intellect to step out and break the logjam.

Second, the current impeachment proceeding is beyond laughable. Blagojevich was quite justified in spending the day with CNN and The View. The Illinois legislature is moving well in advance of the criminal proceeding, which is monstrously inappropriate given that the federal prosecutor is the only person with the relevant information. Patrick Fitzgerald could not cooperate with the lynch mob in Springfield even if he wanted to. The only evidence that could possibly be presented at this "impeachment trial" is rumor and speculation offered by pundits. This is the ultimate in trial by media frenzy, worse than even some of the events of the 1990's.

The governor did a stellar job on national media of making the impeachment proceedings look like a kangaroo court. He was poised, clear, funny and even wearing a Brioni tie. When one is being tried in the media, he must fight back in the media.

Which brings us to Patrick Fitzgerald himself, the media-seeking federal prosecutor. It may indeed be the case that Blagojevich is guilty. But based on tapes presented we are quite a long way from that conclusion. We have heard Blagojevich blowing off steam in his bedroom at midnight and have also heard about various fundraisers seeking to assemble funds on behalf of the Jackson family and others. Bribery, much less other crimes, is a high standard, and a prosecutor must put A and B together. We are not even close to that. For a legislature to move on impeachment at this stage of infancy is criminal. If we arrested everyone who said crazy things to their wives and girlfriends late at night, half the political world would be in jail.

I'm one Republican who's rooting hard for Blago.

Editor's Note: Jack Burkman is the founder and president of Burkman Associates LLC, and is a lawyer, political consultant, and strategist. He was a former Whitewater investigator and was a media strategist for 'Fred Thompson for President,' in 2007.

Editor's note: Click here for more In Session blogs

Jami Floyd
AC360 Contributor and Anchor of In Session

As a criminal defense attorney, I am all about the presumption of innocence. That’s what my show, Best Defense, is all about. But what Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who appeared on today’s show, doesn’t seem to fully appreciate — or doesn’t want to admit — is that the impeachment proceeding in the Senate of his home state of Illinois is not a criminal trial.

Sure they call it a “trial.” But it is not a trial, not in the truest sense of the word, the sense that matters: The constitutional sense. The various principals the governor has been touting during his two day media tour, including today, in response to my questions — such as the right to a fair and speedy trial and the right to confront the witnesses against you — are Sixth Amendment requirements and they attach only in criminal cases.

So, when the governor is tried, which I predict he will be, in federal court, he certainly will be entitled to all the protections afforded by the Sixth Amendment; and he will be entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty of criminal wrongdoing. But this current proceeding, this so called impeachment trial, well this is purely political. And, if he is anything, Rod Blagojevich is a political animal. If he knows nothing else, he should know that.

Gov. Blagojevich appeared on CNN's Larry King Live Monday night.

Editor’s Note: You can read more Lisa Bloom blogs on “In Session”

Lisa Bloom
AC360° Contributor
In Session Anchor

Blago continues to misstate the law.

He’s a lawyer. He should know better.

Blago has steadfastly refused to answer specific questions from Larry King, CBS’s Maggie Rodriguez and others, including Jami Floyd today on In Session (is that you on the tapes? Did you say that? If it’s out of context, what was the context?) on the grounds that he is legally barred from commenting on a pending legal matter. No. Incorrect.

Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 3.6 bar attorneys in pending litigations from making certain extrajudicial comments. They do not bar defendants from speaking out in their own cases. Defendants, parties, and witnesses are always free to speak, under the First Amendment, unless there is a gag order in effect. There is no gag order in this case. I have also read the Senate Impeachment rules in their entirety, and nothing therein bars Blago from speaking publicly about the allegations against him.

Blago also maintains that “we” felt it was more advisable to do a media tour rather than assert his legal rights in the Senate hearing. As Mark Twain said, "Only kings, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial 'we'." Blago is trying to sweep his lawyers into his defensive view that appearing at the hearing would be futile.

Yet his attorney, Ed Gensen, would surely like nothing more than a high profile fight for Blago’s constitutional rights played out before the Illinois Senate. A claim under the Illinois and federal constitutions that the limits on witnesses violate Blago’s due process rights would be highly likely to prevail, in my view. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which governs Illinois, has so ruled in a similar case in 2004. This is the type of juicy claim any criminal defense attorney would enjoy asserting.

Gensen has publicly given one reason for withdrawing from Blago representation: because Blago is not listening to his advice. He must be stewing over Blago’s continued suggestions that Gensen condones this media tour and his failure to appear before the Senate. In fact, it may be the sole reason why he resigned.

Blago knows his attorney can’t say more publicly without violating attorney-client confidentiality. It’s a perfect media strategy: claim the lawyer, who can’t publicly contradict him, is advising him to behave this way.

What is clear is that Blago stands alone in asserting that it is better for him to boycott a proceeding where his job is in real jeopardy and appear instead on television (where he then doesn’t answer any specific questions about whether he’s corrupt).

If he really had answers to the corruption allegations, wouldn’t a media tour be the time to offer them?

Emma Lacey-Bordeaux
CNN Researcher

Interesting tidbit from page 14:

“None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois.”

John Kass
The Chicago Tribune

Watching Illinois Gov. Nosferatu (the walking politically undead) continue his media blitz on ABC's "The View" on Monday was like watching an old cheesy horror flick—"The Brides of Dracula."

"Speaking of integrity and intelligence, we're going to break and we'll come back with Gov. Rod Blagojevich," Whoopi Goldberg said.

As he sat with the women of "The View," the Illinois Senate began the final act of the impeachment. Democrats are certain he's become infected and deadly, and so they'll amputate in a matter of days.

But seeing him up there on the comfy couch in New York, I couldn't stop thinking of "The Brides of Dracula," the vampire movie that was a staple on WGN-TV's "Creature Features" series when I was a wee lad, afraid of losing my soul.

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Larry King talks with embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about why he is boycotting his own impeachment trial.

Editor’s Note: You can read more Lisa Bloom blogs on “In Session”

Gov. Rod Blagojevich

Lisa Bloom
AC360° Contributor
In Session Anchor

Over and over again, Governor Rod Blagojevich has said that the Illinois Senate impeachment hearing is unfair because he is not permitted to call witnesses.

This is the same guy who’s compared himself to Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. so his credibility is strained. Nevertheless, I will strongly defend anyone’s due process rights, so I decided to look into this claim.

It is false. Illinois Senate impeachment rule 15 states: “Requests of subpoenas for witnesses, documents or other materials may be made by the Governor or his counsel in the form of a verified written motion to the Chief Justice . . . “ As far as I can tell, that did not happen.

Blagojevich says that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and the Senate have a “cooperation agreement” by which the Senate will not call certain witnesses who are needed for the criminal trial, such as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett or Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

First, under Rule 15, Blago could call witnesses on the many other articles of impeachment he faces that have nothing to do with these high profile witnesses. He hasn’t even tried.

Second, as a lawyer himself, Blagojevich should know that he could challenge any such agreement between the Senate and the prosecutor under Rule 15, as well as the state and federal constitutions, which give him the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses against him, and also entitle him to due process of the law, including the right to call witnesses.

He has not done that. Instead, he’s using the petulant child approach: “I’m going to take my marbles and go home!” That is a lousy legal approach, because as any first-year law student knows, Blago must make his motions under the hearing rules, even if denied, so that the record is preserved for later appeal. It’s the use-it-or-lose-it approach to enforcing legal rights. Not showing up is the worst possible legal strategy.

Had he made the proper motion and argued that the Senate is trampling his rights, he might have garnered the right to call any and all witnesses he chose. Instead, he complains to non-lawyers like the ladies of The View that he can’t call witnesses, hoping no one will catch him.

Blago, you’re busted. You’re misstating the law. I’d stick up for the due process rights of even the most despised amongst us, even you, accused of withholding money for a children’s hospital and trying to sell Obama’s senate seat. But don’t make up phony claims. As the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “you’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.”

Carol Marin
The Chicago Sun-Times

Barack Obama jogged only slightly ahead of Rod Blagojevich across the news landscape of the past month, the glistening horizon of a new Camelot ahead, perhaps, but the jagged outline of the clouted city not far behind.

Obama and Blago are more than the yin and yang of Illinois politics. They represent, a la Jerry Seinfeld, the ultimate Bizarro plotline.

Bizarro is the alter ego of Superman, a concept the Seinfeld crew borrowed from DC Comics and incorporated into a 1996 episode. If you never saw it, it goes like this: For every apathetic Jerry, nudgy George and raucous Kramer there is, in the Bizarro world, the polar opposite: an empathetic Jerry, an urbane George and a genteel Kramer.

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Anderson Cooper and panelists discuss impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich and President-elect Obama's many challenges.

Ismael Estrada
AC360° Producer

Today the Illinois state house had their say in the state capital. They voted to kick Governor Blagojevich out of office, turning it over to the state senate for their say. As the vote came down overwhelmingly to impeach… 3 hours north in Chicago people outside the Governor’s office were chanting for his resignation. Where was the Governor? He was out for a run, in 4 inches of snow.

A few hours later Governor Blagojevich showed up for his press conference. The place was stuffed with reporters all talking about what he would do or say. He walked up to the podium and re-stated that he was innocent of all charges against him. Not guilty of any criminal wrong doing. He surrounded himself with people he says he helped with his policies while in office. He says he will fight on and he'll have his day in court. Then, he recited poetry he says inspired him since he first heard Ted Kennedy do the same in 1980. Even the press scratched their heads in amazement.

Despite all the drama earlier this week, the United States Senate now may not seat Blagojevich’s appointment, Roland Burris, after all—all over the lack of a signature from the secretary of state who says he won’t sign. Perhaps they knew this all along. Could the senate have been buying their time to get a new appointment after Blagojevich was kicked out of office?

Everyday the papers and newscasts in Chicago are filled with the odd events surrounding the Illinois Governor and his nomination of Roland Burris to the United States senate. Columnists in town have written that the nation is getting a taste of Chicago politics and a spot light is getting placed on the way this city has worked for decades. Over dinner a few days ago, friends were lamenting that just a couple months ago the city was buzzing... on a high from presidential election that delivered Washington DC one of their own. Now, they say it feels like a monster hang-over that won't go away.

Jack Gray
AC360 Associate Producer

Sweet mother of Pearl, I’m speechless. Was that a gubernatorial news conference or a scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?

Please tell me Rod Blagojevich did not just trot out cancer patients as political props. Not the same Rod Blagojevich who was allegedly captured on federal wiretaps plotting how to steal money from terminally ill children.

The phrase “not going down without a fight” has now officially been rendered an understatement. Blagojevich is not going down without a one-man show at the Palace Theater. I just hope his $500 stimulus check is enough to cover a straight jacket.

And sure, the governor has the right to stay in office and defend himself. But why he insists on dragging down brilliant literature in the process is beyond me.