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You are here: Home / Why No Defense?

Why No Defense?

by John Cole|  January 28, 200910:26 am| 53 Comments

This post is in: Assholes, Democratic Stupidity

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Why isn’t Blagojevich allowed to defend himself at the impeachment trial? I doubt it would shut him up if he were allowed to defend himself, and I suppose he would still be running from interview to interview, but if he really isn’t allowed to defend himself, it seems rather unfair.

Or is he just lying about that, too?

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53Comments

  1. 1.

    TheFountainHead

    January 28, 2009 at 10:28 am

    It was my understanding that he absolutely could give testimony in his own defense if he wished to. I think Rachel Maddow said that the other day, I’ll look for a linky…

    EDIT: Here, the Chicago Tribune runs through all his claims and fact checks them…http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-factcheck-blagoje,0,7497735.story

  2. 2.

    Joshua Norton

    January 28, 2009 at 10:29 am

    There’s a chair waiting for him and his lawyers. He chose to discuss the matter with the women from "The View" than show up and defend himself in Chicago.

  3. 3.

    arguingwithsignposts

    January 28, 2009 at 10:30 am

    Yeah, he can defend himself, but not call witnesses. No idea if he could introduce sworn affidavits.

  4. 4.

    TheFountainHead

    January 28, 2009 at 10:31 am

    And here’s the link properly embedded so John doesn’t throw Tunch at me…

  5. 5.

    demimondian

    January 28, 2009 at 10:31 am

    He can offer a defense. He’s lying, John.

  6. 6.

    Zifnab

    January 28, 2009 at 10:33 am

    Why isn’t Blagojevich allowed to defend himself at the impeachment trial?

    This isn’t a court of laws. It’s a court of public opinion. I don’t even think you technically have to commit a crime to get impeached (although, being convicted of a felony should bar you from holding office, if I’m not mistaken). The state Congress can just toss you through impeachment and kick you to the curb because they don’t like your face.

    There is a completely different set of rules for a legislative trial.

  7. 7.

    Joshua Norton

    January 28, 2009 at 10:35 am

    There is a completely different set of rules for a legislative trial.

    Right. This has nothing to do with the Federal charges he’s facing. That will be a different trial.

  8. 8.

    Michael D.

    January 28, 2009 at 10:35 am

    @TheFountainHead:

    And here’s the link properly embedded so John doesn’t throw Tunch at me…

    Please….

    John can’t lift Tunch.

  9. 9.

    shortstop

    January 28, 2009 at 10:36 am

    Yes, he’s lying about that, but his media blitz has done a great job of confusing the issue for those not paying attention (which includes 99 percent of the MSM–I should know by now that watching Larry King is never a good idea, as his lack of preparation is as annoying as everything else about him). He can defend himself, he can introduce statements from others and yes, he can call witnesses. He cannot call those witnesses whom Fitz has disallowed because of the pending criminal case, but neither can the General Assembly.

    Last Wednesday was the deadline for Blago to enter his list of witnesses/testimony. He ignored it and chose instead to pretend that he wasn’t being allowed to "defend himself" in general. As if having Rahm Emanuel on the stand would help with, for example, the tapes played yesterday in which Blago apparently offers plum legislation in return for a contribution from John Johnston, racetrack owner.

  10. 10.

    Fwiffo

    January 28, 2009 at 10:36 am

    …The state Congress can just toss you through impeachment and kick you to the curb because they don’t like your facehair.

    Fixed.

  11. 11.

    dmsilev

    January 28, 2009 at 10:39 am

    No, he’s lying. He basically decided that actually winning the trial was impossible, so he wasn’t going to try. Thus, he and his lawyers (before they quit in disgust) blew off all the deadlines for submitting witness lists and the like, and there’s an empty table in the Senate chamber where he could be sitting if he didn’t think that going on The View was a better use of his time.

    -dms

  12. 12.

    jibeaux

    January 28, 2009 at 10:41 am

    Shorter Blago: Chewbacca defense.

  13. 13.

    shortstop

    January 28, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Oooh, I wonder what word I used to end up in moderation purgatory. I don’t think I mentioned See Alice.

  14. 14.

    Zifnab

    January 28, 2009 at 10:42 am

    @jibeaux: He does make my head explode.

  15. 15.

    mistermix

    January 28, 2009 at 10:46 am

    If someone who’s pretty well-read and tuned into the media (John Cole) thinks that Blago is being denied his right to a defense, obviously his strategy of hitting the fluff media is paying some dividends.

    Blago is playing the hand he was dealt pretty shrewdly. Granted, his hand stinks, but he’s a hell of a bluffer.

  16. 16.

    TheFountainHead

    January 28, 2009 at 10:47 am

    You never know. Good ‘ol Rod the Rambunctious might just decide to show up at his impeachment trial. If there’s one thing he is (and there are many) it’s unpredictable.

  17. 17.

    Greg

    January 28, 2009 at 10:47 am

    He and his lawyers could be there to offer a defense (if he had one) if they chose. He could also call witnesses–but he missed the deadline to provide his list of witnesses so they could be supoenaed to testify.

  18. 18.

    John Cole

    January 28, 2009 at 10:48 am

    @mistermix: Other than the ham-handed performance of the Sneate Dems regarding Burris, I really am not paying much attention to the Blago affair. Except for when he does something crazy. That catches my attention.

  19. 19.

    CrazyDrumGuy

    January 28, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Of course he’s allowed to defend himself. I believe (not sure) that the issue was that he wanted to call Rahmbo and probably half the Obama administration to testify on his behalf, and the IL legislature for obvious reasons wanted to avoid that.

  20. 20.

    The Moar You Know

    January 28, 2009 at 10:50 am

    His claim of "not being able to defend himself" boils down to "they won’t let me subpoena Rahm, Obama, Oprah, Pat Fitzgerald and every politician in the state of Chicago and ask them anything I want to" – in short, he wanted to go on the world’s longest fishing expedition and was told to go fuck himself. He also seems to have some trouble in understanding the difference between a real-live criminal trial and an impeachment trial, although I’m sure the trouble is feigned. One thing Blago is not is stupid. Batshit insane, yes. But not stupid.

  21. 21.

    Brick Oven Bill

    January 28, 2009 at 11:01 am

    I am a white male. Balgo’s jury will consist of two or three white males.

    I listened to those tapes yesterday and did not hear anything damning. There was horse trading, and Blago very well may be borderline crazy, and he was treading on that line, but if he stepped over that line, it wasn’t by much. This is how our current form government works. All of them, as far as I can tell.

    It disturbs me that Obama’s stimulus plan censures Blago by name before any trial against him. This is the federal government formally punishing a Citizen without a trial. I am beginning to take Blago’s side.

    Like his predecessor in interest, Joe the Plumber, Blago again proves the wisdom of Neil Peart. Blago will be either acquitted or receive a hung jury in Chicago. He will then write a book.

    Don’t go folding. Lady luck is golden.

  22. 22.

    southpaw

    January 28, 2009 at 11:03 am

    From where I sit, it looks like Blago is doing himself a serious disservice by not offering a defense. The evidence against him that’s been made public thus far, while obviously salacious and suggestive of poor character, does not actually have Blago himself engaging in a quid pro quo. It’s all hearsay and speculation and bad words.

    None of this is to suggest that Blago is something other than a scumbag, but a good defense attorney could have sowed some serious doubts about the strength of the case against him.

    Of course, in an impeachment trial, it’s unlikely to matter because the US Congress has made Illinois’s receipt of stimulus money conditional upon Blago being gone.

  23. 23.

    SpotWeld

    January 28, 2009 at 11:04 am

    First Chicago.. now Hartford.
    Torchwood is going to start showing up next…

  24. 24.

    Montysano

    January 28, 2009 at 11:05 am

    The lesson from all this: you can try to peddle your bullshit to Joy Behar, or to what’s-her-face on the Today Show, and you’ll be OK.

    Rachel Maddow? Not so much. Blago basically confessed to one of the charges, and then was visibly distraught that he’d done so.

    No one could have predicted that a brilliant, Oxford educated, left-wing lesbian would have her own show on the teevee.

  25. 25.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    January 28, 2009 at 11:07 am

    I enjoyed Bill Clinton’s appearance before the Senate during his impeachment trial.

    Oh, wait …. there were some video materials presented, but no live witnesses.

    That’s because, you see, an impeachment is not a criminal proceeding and doesn’t follow those rules. It’s a political proceeding and the rules are politically determined.

    Blago’s real complaint is that he is being railroaded on criminal allegations but without a criminal process. And he has a good point there. Unfortunately, it’s tough shit.

  26. 26.

    KCinDC

    January 28, 2009 at 11:20 am

    Congress has made Illinois’s receipt of stimulus money conditional upon Blago being gone.

    Southpaw, that’s not what your link says. There’s an "or" there. Have you been listening to BOB?

  27. 27.

    TheHatOnMyCat

    January 28, 2009 at 11:26 am

    I am a white male.

    We’ll be the judge of that, Bob.

  28. 28.

    theturtlemoves

    January 28, 2009 at 11:27 am

    @Brick Oven Bill: Good lord, man. Don’t ever mention Rush (the Canadian power trio, not the fat gasbag) in the same post with Joe the Plumber ever, ever again. That, sir, is blasphemy.

  29. 29.

    John PM

    January 28, 2009 at 11:27 am

    He is lying.

    As others have mentioned, Blago wanted to call among other witnesses Rahm Emmanuel and Valerie Jarrett, but the federal prosecutor asked the Illinois General Assembly to not allow this because it would interfer with the criminal proceedings. However, Blago could have called other witnesses and participated in the drafting of the rules for the trial. Before the trial started on Monday, the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court asked if the Governor or anyone representing him was present, to which there was no answer.

    I saw clips of Geraldo Rivera yesterday after his interview with Blago in the parking lot of The View, and Geraldo was going on about how Blago was being railroaded and not getting any due process. He made these statements to Bill O’Reilly. John, I thought that you had become more discerning than Geraldo and O’Reilly.

  30. 30.

    Laertes

    January 28, 2009 at 11:31 am

    It’s clear why his lawyer quit: Each one of these interviews is an opportunity to further incriminate himself, and you can be sure that Fitz has got someone recording, transcribing, and closely examining each one of them.

    I’m not sure why Brick Oven Bill thinks the color of his skin is so important, but I expect I look a lot like he does and I have no idea what I’d do if I were on Blago’s jury, given that I’ve so far seen only a tiny fraction of what Fitz has got.

    One thing’s for sure: In his criminal trial, this skeevy SOB needs a better defense than he’s been offering so far.

    As for the impeachment, boycotting it is the right move. His removal from office is a foregone conclusion, and taking part in the process merely adds stature to his enemies and diminishes his own.

    Less smart is his technique of vigorously lying about the extent to which the deck is stacked against him. The unvarnished truth would serve him pretty well. His exaggerations undermine his credibility and will cost him in the criminal trial where he still has a fighting chance. That’s very poor strategy.

  31. 31.

    DFD

    January 28, 2009 at 11:33 am

    There’s a chair waiting for him and his lawyers. He chose to discuss the matter with the women from "The View" than show up and defend himself in Chicago

    His impeachment trial is in the capital of Illinois, Springfield. His criminal trial will likely be in Chicago where the charges were filed.

  32. 32.

    The Moar You Know

    January 28, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Don’t go folding. Lady luck is golden.

    @Brick Oven Bill: Second worst Rush song ever. Not as astoundingly awful in toto as "Virtuality", but the rap in the middle would have been a career-wrecker for any other band.

    Peart is an idiot. Best drummer ever, but an idiot. That you would cite him as any fount of wisdom tells me all I need to know about your personality, emotional development, and intellectual age.

  33. 33.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    January 28, 2009 at 11:40 am

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    It disturbs me that Obama’s stimulus plan censures Blago by name before any trial against him.

    Please explain. Wait…. never mind.

    Please go away.

    WTF is wrong with the strikeout tag?

  34. 34.

    itsbenj

    January 28, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Yes, Blogjevich is lying. He is mad because he can’t call "people like Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarret", etc. Basically, he wants to call outlandish witnesses who have nothing at all to do with the trial, and is trying to make a show-trial spectacle out of the impeachment proceedings. Since his requests to do such things are being denied, that makes him just like Ghandi and MLK, and means that he and oppressed people everywhere are being denied justice.

  35. 35.

    jibeaux

    January 28, 2009 at 11:47 am

    At least he’ll go out with his dignity intact.

  36. 36.

    theturtlemoves

    January 28, 2009 at 11:53 am

    @The Moar You Know: What, you mean the lyrics "Net boy, net girl, throw your signal round the world" aren’t super deep? Yeah, if you actually take Peart’s Ayn Rand schtick seriously, woe unto you.

  37. 37.

    jibeaux

    January 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Awesomest lyrics evah.

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    January 28, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Or is he just lying about that, too?

    Yes, SATSQ.

    Because it would require him to actually show up for the impeachment instead of plastering himself on the tv.

  39. 39.

    Brick Oven Bill

    January 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    The link provided by southpaw above represents the federal government leaning on a state legislature in the process of judging the future livelihood of a free Citizen. Even if the wording would allow somebody else to spend the money. This is creepy to me. Add in five Executive Orders in three days. And then draw the line between the two dots.

    The night has a thousand saxophones however. TheHatOnMyCat is not between the ages of 27 and 32. She has long hair. Going any further than that would get me in trouble should I ever be subject to a Soviet-style show trial.

  40. 40.

    Brick Oven Bill

    January 28, 2009 at 12:05 pm

    I should add that those are my estimations, based on writing style.

  41. 41.

    southpaw

    January 28, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    Forgive me KCinDC, that should have read:

    Of course, in an impeachment trial, it’s unlikely to matter because the US Congress has made Illinois’s receipt of stimulus money for currently authorized programs conditional upon Blago being gone.

  42. 42.

    shortstop

    January 28, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    At least he’ll go out with his dignity intact.

    I need one of those spewed coffee-defying keyboard protectors.

  43. 43.

    David Hunt

    January 28, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    I suspect that underlying part of his refusal is that he doesn’t want to be in a position to be questioned under oath before his criminal trial. He could claim that he mis-spoke or even walk out of an interview, but if he’s testifying, he’s pretty much stuck.

    However, what he’s actually instead doing is batshit insane so go figure…

  44. 44.

    The Moar You Know

    January 28, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    The link provided by southpaw above represents the federal government leaning on a state legislature in the process of judging the future livelihood of a free Citizen. Even if the wording would allow somebody else to spend the money. This is creepy to me. Add in five Executive Orders in three days. And then draw the line between the two dots.

    I did. It spells "HITLER". Thread over.

  45. 45.

    Dr. Squid

    January 28, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    He’s lying. The Lege is being a bunch of big meanies to Blagojfruhrr by conducting its business in (gasp) the state capital as opposed to his neighborhood OTB parlor in Chicago.

  46. 46.

    Athenae

    January 28, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Awesomest lyrics evah.

    I clicked it. WHY DO I ALWAYS CLICK IT?!

    A.

  47. 47.

    shortstop

    January 28, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    the state capital as opposed to his neighborhood OTB parlor in Chicago

    I beg your pardon. He places his bets from the comfort of his Ravenswood Manor living room, also known as Schofield Barracks. Membership has its privileges.

  48. 48.

    Anton Sirius

    January 28, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    @The Moar You Know:

    How dare you disparage the rock upon which the church of the Blessed Ayn will be founded? Neil has done more to turn angsty, self-obsessed teens onto an angsty, self-obsessed pseudo-philosophy than Rand’s turgid prose ever could have.

  49. 49.

    Gregory

    January 28, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    I am a white male.

    You don’t say!

  50. 50.

    The Moar You Know

    January 28, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    @Athenae: I clicked it too. I am posting through my tears.

  51. 51.

    Gregory

    January 28, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    @jibeaux:

    At least he’ll go out with his dignity intact.

    Win.

  52. 52.

    The Moar You Know

    January 28, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    @Anton Sirius: Only for one part of his benighted lyrical career. He’s gone from Randian blather to self-absorbed literary poser over the years, and the truly sad thing is that his Randian sci-fi blather was much, much better than his attempts to be the next F. Scott Fitzgerald.

    So yeah. You listen to the band for the music, not the lyrics.

  53. 53.

    AnneW

    January 28, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    The provision that bars Blagojevich from the stimulus funds is in fact the Kirk-Foster amendment, sponsored by U.S. Representatives Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.)

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