Saying that the “time for accountability” is now, Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar wrapped up the political corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich by asking jurors to remember “one of the first lessons we teach our children: We are all responsible for our own actions.”
The government’s rebuttal was not just a sharp contrast stylistically with defense attorney Sam Adam Jr.’s closing argument (wry mockery versus righteous indignation), but it differed substantively as well — with frequent references to the legal definitions and instructions on which the jury will rely.
Schar spent about an hour and 15 minutes gathering up the various sequences the government laid out in the proceeding seven weeks.
Pushing back against Blagojevich’s informal advice-of-counsel defense, Schar said that Blagojevich simply “surrounded himself with policy people who also had legal degrees” – not lawyers who were giving him advice. He further mocked the concept of the “accidentally corrupt governor,” and what he claimed was the defense’s insistence that Blagojevich’s aides failed to stop him from doing wrong.
“You get the blame-everybody-else argument,” Schar said. “This guy had more background as a criminal lawyer than anybody else and yet somehow, he became the accidental, corrupt governor.”
Schar continued: “Every time governor Blagojevich is doing something he should be doing, he somehow understands he doesn’t want to be caught.”
“It’s everyone’s fault but the defendant,” Schar said. “That is not how it works. It is no one’s job to stop him from committing these crimes. It is his job.”
Schar then mocked the defense’s explanation for Blagojevich’s involvement in alleged schemes.
On Children’s Hospital:
“This is the health-care governor,” said Schar. “And he decided to sit on one of his own initiatives?”
On the testimony of former Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee, a government witness:
“Who better to interpret what defendant Blagojevich means than Bob Greenlee?” said Schar. “It was his job to understand him.”
On alleged extortion of racetrack owner John Johnston:
“You don’t sit around debating whether or not you’re going to get your money before you (sign) your bill.”
On Blagojevich paying his taxes:
“There is not a special tax rate for him. He paid his fair share. He’s not charged with tax fraud. If he committed tax fraud, he would have been charged with tax fraud.”
Schar began his rebuttal by quickly trying to strike the concept of Blagojevich as an idiot.
“He is not stupid,” said Schar. “He is very smart. He didn’t get twice elected as governor for the state of Illinois by accident.”
Schar instructed the jury that the defense was attempting to have them focus on single pieces of the puzzle, as opposed to the entire thing.
“All the evidence are pieces of the puzzle and you need to take it and turn it into the puzzle that it is,” the prosecutor said.
Schar pointed to a Nov. 12, 2008, phone call with SEIU Chicago chief Tom Balanoff, in which Blagojevich discusses trying to parlay the vacant U.S. Senate seat into an opportunity to lead a 501(c)4 non-profit organization after his term is over. The following day, Schar noted, Blagojevich had a related conversation with lobbyist Doug Scofield.
“Defendant Blagojevich knows how to communicate,” Schar said. “He is practiced at it.”
Regarding the government’s allegation that Blagojevich tried to extort road-building executive Gerry Krozel, Schar said the jury doesn’t need to guess what the ex-governor’s intentions were.