 "The arrogance of these f------ people," Blagojevich said on Nov.
10, apparently exasperated by his inability to allegedly get a deal
out of President Barack Obama for appointing his friend Valerie
Jarrett to the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Obama.On
Wednesday the prosecution and former Deputy Gov. Doug Scofield
painted a picture of a bitter and jealous egomaniac during the 2008
election. Scofield has walked the jury through some of the most
damaging tapes of the former governor's federal corruption trial,
including Blagojevich's most famous sound bite.
"I got this thing and it's f------ golden and I'm not just giving
it up for f------ nothing," the jury heard late Tuesday.
But the context Scofield has provided for the tapes could be as
troublesome for defense attorneys as the governor's own mouth.
"He was frustrated by Sen. Obama (and his success)," Scofield
testified. "He was a rival. … There was some jealousy."
Despite his envy of the fast-rising Illinois senator, Blagojevich
still managed to keep some perspective on the presidential election
-- at least in terms of his own future.
"I'm better off with this guy (Obama) than McCain," he said.
The tapes show Blagojevich as a man obsessed with making his way
out of Illinois, fearing he would be left behind as Obama put
distance between himself and Chicago politics.
When Blagojevich saw his chances of a Cabinet post slipping, he
searched for excuses to appoint himself, at one point discussing
criteria he would set for potential appointees surrounding health
care policy. The standards would point back to him as the person
best suited to take the job.
In a conversation with Scofield on Nov. 13, Blagojevich predicted
such a move would irk Obama.
"The (last) thing Obama wants is me (in the Senate)," he said.
Scofield said if Blagojevich could not get a Cabinet position or
other prominent post from Obama, he considered lobbying Jarrett
directly.
"How bad do you want what I've got?" Blagojevich rehearsed on a
wiretap.
His defense team reacted to some of the most damaging tapes with
a refrain heard often thus far in the trial. Blagojevich attorney
Aaron Goldstein asked Scofield why he never objected to
Blagojevich's proposals or warned him of the potential illegality of
the alleged deal-making. He used Scofield's contributions to the
wiretaps for added effect.
"You said, 'You've got something important and valuable. ... The
president has a horse in the race and an interest in that horse to
win,'" Goldstein began. "Did you believe it?"
"No," Scofield said, pausing.
The public relations entrepreneur stumbled for words for the
first time in his testimony.
"I made the decision that I wasn't gonna argue with him."
"So you encouraged him?" Goldstein followed up.
"At times it could be seen as encouragement," Scofield said.
[to top of second column] |
Scofield's banter with Blagojevich carried much the same
alpha-male tone as the governor's on the tapes.
"Gimme a f------ break," he said to Blagojevich on Nov. 10. "(The
Obama people) could step up to the plate ... (and) help with
something."
But Scofield said he was misrepresenting his true feelings about
Blagojevich's alleged scheming. He said he was appeasing the
governor throughout their conversations.
"I was just agreeing with what (Blagojevich) said previously," he
said of his statements on the phone.
The defense has asked many of the governor's former advisers,
including Lon Monk, John Harris and Tom Balanoff, why they never
objected to the alleged conspiracy. Often, these witnesses have
testified they humored the governor in taped conversations of
alleged conspiracy.
Scofield offered a slightly different story when the prosecution
asked him about the subject. He said he did not want to end up on
Blagojevich's bad side.
"I had to pick my fights with him," he said. "He had an
in-and-out view of the world. ... I had seen it before."
And he shared some of those anecdotes with the jury.
Blagojevich dismissed the naysaying of Bill Knapp, a consultant
who allegedly advised the governor to settle for good will in a
Jarrett appointment. Blagojevich labeled Knapp a "quisling," or
traitor, and worried that someone from the Obama campaign had
"gotten to him." Scofield, however, also admitted that Knapp and
Blagojevich remained close through 2008, despite their differences.
The former governor’s apparent vindictive streak extended to
bystanders, as well. Blagojevich told Scofield on Nov. 13 that Iraqi
war veteran and former congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth had
no chance at the Senate seat. It wasn't an issue of merit -- she was
just backed by the wrong people, including Illinois senior U.S. Sen.
Dick Durbin.
"Why the f--- would I make Durbin's candidate or Rahm's candidate
(senator)?" he said.
Blagojevich faces more than 20 counts of corruption and 415 years
in prison if convicted.
The potential prison sentence could get five years lighter very
soon because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that narrowed
the scope of the Honest Services Act. Federal Judge James Zagel may
throw out a charge of making false statements to federal
investigators concerning an alleged shakedown of the Chicago
Tribune.
Scofield will be back on the stand on Thursday.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
 |
