At his sentencing hearing later in 2011, an uncharacteristically deferential Blagojevich asked the Judge for mercy and said he accepted responsibility. He told the court in a hushed voice, "I caused it all."Now let me go, yer Honor!
Secret wiretaps of Blagojevich eager to earn big money were at the core of prosecutors' case. "I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden," jurors heard Blagojevich saying in one wiretapped conversation about Obama's vacated seat. "And I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not going to do it."
I wuz jes' jokin', yer Honor!
The appeal cites a juror who allegedly expressed a bias against Blagojevich who was seated despite the objections of defense attorneys. It also raises longstanding claims that the Judge barred FBI wiretap evidence that might have aided the defense and argues the judge miscalculated the appropriate prison term.
Yeah, he shoulda gone up for twice as long!
Appeals can take years to play out, and defendants rarely prevail. Another Illinois governor convicted for corruption, George Ryan, filed multiple appeals over years and lost every key ruling.
To be fair and balanced, I believe Ryan was (R), but I'm pretty sure Blago was a (D) - see the photo. I was living in Illinois when the news got out that Secretary of State Paul Powell passed away (1970) and left $800,000 in cash under his Springfield apartment bed. In shoeboxes.