As journalists, present company included, scrambled to quickly dissect the late-afternoon indictment of the governor, an array of intriguing specifics were by and large missed. One of the biggest is found near the end of what is, by and large, a rather snooze-inducing document, absent the sorts of sexy new allegations many Blago watchers had expected.
For starters, there is "Forfeiture Allegation One" on p. 71 of the document. As a result of his alleged misdeeds, the government wants his Chicago home and a condo Blago owns on 18th Street, Northwest, in Washington, D.C.
In the case of the house, the government informs that the family home on Sunnyside Avenue on Chicago's North side is legally described thusly:
"LOT 24 AND THE SOUTH 20 FEET OF LOT 25 IN BLOCK 52 IN RAVENSWOOD MANOR, BEING A SUBSDIVISION OF PART OF THE NORTH 1/2 OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS."
So they want his house.
Then, there's his real gold mine. His campaign funds.
The government wants:
"All funds, certificates of deposit, letters of credit and assets held by Ravenswood Bank, DuQuoin State Bank, First Suburban National Bank, and Community Bank of DuPage in the name of or on behalf of Friends of Blagojevich."
That's the more than $3 million in funds the former governor surely hoped to use in part for his defense. Now, the government is essentially warning the banks to not let a single penny out of those accounts.
The government's approach is straightforward: starve the beast. Regardless of how much of taxpayer money has gone into the extensive prosecution---figure many millions of dollars---they want to prevent him from spending ten cents.
It was widely believed in the Chicago legal community that some prominent defense lawyers took a pass on representing him specifically due to the fear that he wouldn't pay. It's unknown if he fronted his latest attorney, the well-regarded Terry Gillespie, with any funds.
If he did, those may be the last filthy lucre Gillespie, or anybody else, gets from Blago.
And if the governor wants to buy a new flat-screen television, he best make sure it doesn't come from one of those accounts. the government will be watching.
For sure, tension is rife in millions of American homes these days, first and foremost due to the rising ranks of jobless. It's tough on families.
In the case of a jobless governor, with wife and two kids, it won't be any easier. Throw into the mix the nearly $70,000 prosecutors alleged Thursday that wife Patti received for no work, and the possibility that they're still trying to pressure the family by raising the prospect of her potential indictment, and you have a lot more tension than presented on Thursday's "E.R." finale. My friend, Chris Matthews, hosts Hardball. Blago now confronts hardball. It might make a guy considering seeking political asylum at Disney World.
Blagojevich indicted by federal grand jury - Politics- msnbc.com
Blagojevich Indicted On Corruption Charges - CBS News
A defendant is innocent until proven guilty and forcing the defendant to pay for his legal defense is forcing an innocent man to pay. This is not innocent until proven guilty, this is guilty until proven innocent.
Shame on lawyers and their lobby. They have set up this system where they can extort money from innocent people. An accused man is forced to pay whatever it takes to defend himself.