Following a day in which the government showed that Rod Blagojevich didn’t let his family’s financial straits interfere with his pursuit of fine clothes, the ex-governor told reporters that the prosecution merely proved the case his attorneys hoped to make.
“When this case began my lawyers said follow the money,” Blagojevich said. “The government just showed where all the money has gone: Right to the IRS. I take a certain amount of patriotic satisfaction, as we approach our nation’s birthday, knowing that Patti and I, during the six years that I was governor, sent our money right to the IRS. And we overpaid our taxes.”
Earlier, Blagojevich told the Chicago News Cooperative that the tie he wore to court Thursday was among the purchases an IRS forensic accountant had listed in her testimony about Blagojevich’s expenses from 2002-2008. He also joked that his shopping helped stimulate the Illinois economy.
Blagojevich Speaks to Reporters, July 1, 2010 from Chicago News Cooperative on Vimeo.