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Blagojevich says he decided to do interviews in New York rather than defend himself in the state senate in Springfield against impeachment charges because in his view the trial is “rigged, and it’s fixed.” Just for the record — since I’m as eager to see Blago go as anyone else in the state — but he’s got a point. The senate’s working off a playbook written by U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald, who triggered the rush to impeachment by cuffing the governor at his home December 9 and issuing a criminal complaint crammed with transfixing details. Fitzgerald was willing to share some of his evidence with the Illinois House, which impeached the governor January 9, but far from all of it.
I told Hannig the tail (Fitzgerald) has been wagging the dog (the General Assembly). “Here’s the point,” Hannig replied. “The federal government made the tape [of Blagojevich], and they are going to protect it for their purposes. [Fitzgerald’s] at least trying to be fair with us, recognizing that we need some of that evidence. He could easily have said, ‘No. I have a federal case to deal with. We made this tape and we’re keeping it.’”
