‘Robert Blagojevich Is Not About Money’

Following opening remarks from the prosecution, Robert Blagojevich‘s attorney, Michael Ettinger, took the floor.

“Robert Blagojevich is not about money,” Ettinger told the jury. “He is one of the finest persons, I believe, that you will have met by the time this case is over.

“I’m going to tell you until they shut me up that he’s an innocent man and he’s a great man,” Ettinger said.

Ettinger then immediately launched into Robert’s bio: Lane Tech high school, walk-on baseball player at the University of Tampa, where he joined the ROTC, served in the U.S. Army.

Ettinger made a big deal about the Army’s Persian missiles, and how Robert was trained in using the devices.

“He was in charge of three nuclear warheads,” Ettinger crowed. “They gave him top secret clearance. They sent him to Germany.”

As for Robert’s relationship with his brother the former governor, Ettinger said, “They weren’t close. That wasn’t on purpose but they were far apart.”