Illinois: Defense rests at Blago's corruption retrial; Prosecution called several rebuttal witnesses

By Karen Hawkins and Michael Tarm Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) -- Attorneys for Rod Blagojevich rested their case Wednesday at his corruption retrial after calling witnesses that included a former congressman to follow the ousted Illinois governor himself. Blagojevich was the star witness of the three-week presentation, wrapping up his testimony a day earlier and fulfilling a promise he made before his first trial that he would testify. Under a grueling cross-examination, Blagojevich occasionally became flustered, but he repeatedly denied trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat or attempting to shake down executives for campaign cash. Defense attorneys had called Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. earlier in the trial. On Wednesday they added former congressman Bill Lipinski, a former state budget office employee and an FBI agent. The prosecution called several rebuttal witnesses once the defense rested, including two Canadian building executives and two FBI agents. Prosecutors could start delivering their closing arguments as early as Wednesday afternoon, followed by the defense. Jurors could start deliberating as soon as Thursday afternoon, depending on the length of closing arguments. In his testimony, Blagojevich argued that his talk captured on FBI wiretaps was merely brainstorming, and that he never took the schemes seriously or decided to carry them out. And though the judge barred such arguments, Blagojevich claimed he'd believed his conversations were legal and part of common political discourse. Defense attorneys have also filed several motions claiming the government is trying to thwart them, including by repeatedly objecting to their questions during cross-examination. In their own three-week case, prosecutors called 15 witnesses and played FBI wiretap recordings of Blagojevich. It was a much shorter, streamlined case than they presented last year. Blagojevich, 54, faces 20 counts, including attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit bribery. The most serious allegation is that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to the Senate seat in exchange for a high-paying job or campaign cash. He's also accused to trying to shake down executives by threatening state decisions that would hurt their businesses. His first trial last year ended with a hung jury, the panel agreeing on a single count -- that Blagojevich lied to the FBI about how involved he was in fundraising as governor. Before the initial trial, Blagojevich repeatedly insisted he would speak directly to jurors, but he never did. His lawyers rested without calling a single witness. Published: Thu, Jun 9, 2011