Sounding at times desperate and dispirited, and at other times enthusiastic and grandiose, Rod Blagojevich was captured on tape strategizing about how he could benefit politically and financially by choosing a candidate to replace the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
The prosecution continued Thursday to play recorded conversations for the jury in the former governor's federal corruption trial. Most of the calls are between Blagojevich and his then chief of staff, John Harris, and take place in November, and early December 2008 - soon before both men were arrested. Harris pleaded guilty to a corruption charge and is a cooperating witness.
"I need to find a way to get financial mobility," Blagojevich said in a conversation with Harris and Fred Yang, a prominent political pollster who did some work for Obama. At the same time, he wanted a position on a board or at a not for profit organization that would be funded by people like Warren Buffet and other "friends" of Obama, according to the tapes.
His wish list was long: He talked about appointing himself to the Senate seat and getting his wife, Patti, a job as a lobbyist in Washington; getting a job as the head of a union campaign organization; being appointed to a cabinet position, and, establishing an issues-oriented foundation that would have more than $10, $15 or $20 million --money that Obama's billionaire friends would contribute, Harris testified. One thing was clear; he did not want to serve out the remaining two years of his term as governor.
He was clearly anxious about his future financial security, saying in one recording: "How am I gonna send my F****** kid to college," and in another conversation: "These three criterion in his order; our legal situation, our personal situation and my political situation."
Blagojevich's salary as governor was $170,000.
When it came to the Senate seat, Blagojevich seemed most interested in appointing Valerie Jarrett, now a White House aide, in the belief that Obama would reward him for the choice. Obama did, in fact send a message through Rahm Emanuel who told a Blagojevich aide that the president elect would like Jarrett to be his pick.
Harris testified he relayed the message in a recorded call on Nov. 11, 2008, telling Blagojevich that the "president elect would be very happy if you appointed Valerie Jarrett to the Senate...he'd be thankful and appreciative," Harris told the governor, according to the recorded conversation.
An angry Blagojevich responded: "They're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F*** them. You know what I mean?"
But a day later, Emanuel was sending a different message. In a recorded call to Blagojevich from Harris on Nov. 12, 2008, Harris relayed the message: "'Pass on three things to Rod and I'm available to speak to him if he'd like to. Valerie Jarrett's goin' to the White House," Harris said. "He gave us four names that the president would find acceptable."
Blagojevich asks "Who are they?"
Harris responds "Not in any rank order...[Congressman] Jesse Jackson Jr., [Congresswoman] Jan Schakowsky, Tammy Duckworth [Assistant Secretary in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs]...Dan Hynes [Illinois Comptroller]."
Emanuel did not express who the president would oppose as a candidate, but Harris said he believed implicit in the message was that former state Senate President Emil Jones would be disfavored.
Later in the conversation, Harris says: "They're clearly diluting the value of the ask...meaning they're, they're, they're reducing its importance. When they give you two whites and black and an Asian. It sounds like the only thing they really don't want is Emil."
In another conversation, Blagojevich expressed his opinions about Jesse Jackson Jr., whom he thought of appointing believing it would anger the president elect and the Senate leadership. "Jesse Jackson, Jr.; it's a repugnant thought to me. I think he's a bad guy. I don't like him. I don't trust him," Blagojevich said.
As Harris explained from the witness stand, Blagojevich was looking for opportunities to "leverage the appointment of a senator to get something for himself."
That is one of the charges that comprise the 24-count indictment against Blagojevich, whom prosecutors allege put Illinois government up for sale, doling out appointments, contracts and favors to those who contributed to his campaign fund.
He tried to get Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed to plant a rumor that he was considering appointing Jesse Jackson, Jr., thinking that Obama "might be more motivated to accommodate the governor's requests" if he tricks him into thinking Jackson is his first choice, Harris testified.
He also bandied about the idea of appointing several other individuals, including one of his deputy governors, Luanner Peters, and suggested he could take the seat for himself. But he seemed most interested in Jones, whom he said would look after his interests in Washington. In one conversation, he suggests Harris ask Jones if he'd be willing to transfer money from his campaign coffers to Blagojevich's.
Testimony Thursday also revealed that Blagojevich was extremely angry at the Chicago Tribune editorial board for publishing articles critical of the governor and that he repeatedly directed Harris to talk to a consultant to Sam Zell, the owner of the paper.
Harris testified that he did discuss the editorials with the consultant, Nils Larsen. Harris allegedly discussed possible assistance the state could give the Tribune Co. in its planned sale of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, and also asked Larsen to try to "tone down" the editorial board--telling him it could affect the state's willingness to help with the Cubs deal.
"Nils explained to me the financial conditions were strained...that they'd be performing layoffs and other restructuring," Harris testified. He did not ask Larsen to fire anyone, but he later led Blagojevich to believe he had. His objective: trying to keep Blagojevich from calling Zell himself, he testified.
Four days before Blagojevich's Dec. 9, 2008 arrest, as the feds were closing in on him, the Chicago Tribune reported that John Wyma, a lobbyist and close advisor to Blagojevich, had been wearing a wire for the FBI. Wyma's lawyer had apparently called Blagojevich's chief counsel, William Quinlan, and told him the story was false, Harris testified. "You believe Wyma's lawyer," Blagojevich asks Harris during a recorded call on Dec. 5. Harris testified that he told Blagojevich "I had no reason to believe John Wyma was wearing a recording device in any conversations I had with him."