Blago says recorded chatter on Senate seat was legal talk about ‘horse trading’
By APFriday, August 20, 2010
Blago: Senate seat talk was legal ‘horse trading’
CHICAGO — Former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich says all he’s guilty of is some “political horse trading” and that if that’s a crime, prosecutors need to charge every politician in America.
Blagojevich began his post-trial media tour Friday with interviews on Chicago’s WLS Radio and NBC’s “Today” show.
In both interviews, he characterized the discussions prosecutors called efforts to sell an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat as legal political discussions. Blagojevich says the conversations recorded by federal investigators were simply brainstorming sessions with his lawyers and advisers.
A federal jury deadlocked Tuesday on all but one of 24 charges against Blagojevich. He was convicted of lying to federal agents.
Prosecutors have pledged to retry the case.
