John Harris testified Monday about the efforts undertaken by Rod Blagojevich to get his wife Patti a paid state job. The first position the Blagojeviches aimed for was a post on the Illinois Pollution Control Board in 2008.
“The context,” Harris explained, “was the financial difficulty that the Blagojevich family was having because of the diminishing business being done by Patti Blagojevich, who had been a real estate broker and her business was suffering. The governor would often tell myself and other senior members of his staff that the business was suffering on account of the government’s investigation and that he needed to find his wife a job.”
Harris said he told Blagojevich that he didn’t think this was a good idea, that Patti didn’t meet the qualifications. He said that Rod Blagojevich dismissed this, that others who were unqualified had been appointed.
“There was quite a bit of work involved and from what I understood, what the governor was searching for Patti was something that paid but didn’t require a lot of work or time,” Harris said.
Harris came back with the thought that Patti work as a senior policy advisor in the governor’s office.
“It would be important she would come to work each day down in Thompson Center or in Springfield and that may meet his needs for her to work in a more part-time environment,” Harris testified.
Blagojevich suggested that Patti could work at home and Harris says he thought that would be bad for appearances.
Patti Blagojevich had around that time received her Series 7 financial certification.
At Rod Blagojevich’s direction, Harris said he spoke with two of his friends in the financial industry, one who worked in the municipal bond division of Citibank, about Patti Blagojevich’s job search. Neither ended up offering her work. Frustrated by his wife’s inability to find work in the financial industry, Harris testified that Blagojevich said that he should move to make certain that Citibank received no more state business.
When Citibank was later selected to help underwrite bonds for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Harris says he didn’t tell Blagojevich, fearing Blagojevich might try to subvert it.
Previously, Harris testified that it was brought to his attention both by Deputy Governor Bradley Tusk and by then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel’s office that a state grant to the Chicago Academy was being held up by the governor’s office.
Harris said Blagojevich told him in a conversation that he did not approve the release of the funds and suggested that Tusk had authorized their release without his knowledge.
The Funds were eventually released to the Chicago Academy in five installments after Harris said he explained to the governor that construction work on the school’s athletic field was already in progress and they had outstanding invoices.
Harris resigned his position as Chief of Staff three days after both he and Blagojevich were arrested in December 2008.
He will take the stand again tomorrow morning. The prosecution told Judge James Zagel that they anticipate Harris’ testimony will last the remainder of the week.