Just when you thought you’d get a break from some Rod Blagojevich news.
The latest: The Chicago Tribune reports that the ex-Illinois governor’s lawyers have asked the judge who presided over the trial to dismiss the one conviction for lying to the FBI.
The Tribune reports that the lawyers filed a motion claiming the conviction was the result of a “plethora of errors”. Blago was convicted on only one of 24 counts. The jury deadlocked on the remainder.
The defense claims prosecutors served up an overly complicated case that confused jurors, and the judge limited the defense during trial at every turn.
“To be sure, the burden was on the government and the defendant had no obligation to put on a case,” the defense motion said, according to the Tribune. “However, the defendant’s fundamental right to defend himself through cross-examination was stomped upon by obstructionist (and continuous) objections that were sustained by the Court.”
