By Allan Lengelticklethewire.com
Surprise Surprise (not really).
Federal prosecutor Carrie Hamilton delivered closing arguments on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown Chicago, calling defendant Rod Blagojevich a liar and a swindler, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. And oh yes, she said his seven days of testimony was “absurd” and “ludicrous.”
The closings marked the beginning of the end for Blago II, the sequel to the first trial which didn’t go so well for the prosecution. It convicted Blago on only one of 24 counts — lying to the FBI. The jury deadlocked on the remaining counts.
This time around, the prosecution tried to simplify the case after the jury in Blago I complained the case was too complicated.
She asked the jury to keep this in mind, according to the Sun-Times:
“Did the defendant try to get a benefit for himself in exchange for an official act?”
“That’s really all this case and these charges boil down to, and it’s really not any more complicated than that,” Hamilton said.
The Sun-Times wrote that the prosecutor tried to address what some see as a weakness in the case: Blago talked a lot but never completed any illegal acts.
“The law protects people from being squeezed,” Hamilton said. “The harm is done when the ask is made because that’s the violation of the people’s trust.”
Her closing continues Thursday, the Sun-Times reported.
