The Rod Blagojevich circus has added another ring.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been subpoenaed by the Blagojevich defense team in the ousted Illinois governor's corruption trial, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Around the time reports surfaced that Blagojevich was attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama, it was also reported that Reid contacted Blagojevich about who might fill that seat.
Reid reportedly lobbied against the appointment of Emil Jones, Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Danny Davis to the seat. Instead, he preferred Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
According to a January 3rd, 2009 Sun-Times column, Reid's spokesman Jim Manley defended the Nevada senator's conversation with Blagojevich as perfectly natural:
"Of course Sen. Reid spoke to the governor of Illinois -- just as he spoke to the governors of New York and Colorado when senators from those states accepted jobs in the new administration,'' Manley said. "It is part of his job as majority leader to share his thoughts about candidates who have the qualities needed to succeed in the Senate."
The senator isn't the first major political figure who the Blagojevich team has sought to subpoena in the ex-governor's defense. Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, confirmed that he had been served by the defense.
And a subpoena was also sought for President Barack Obama. According to details revealed from redacted portions of legal filings, Blagojevich asserted that President Obama pushed Valerie Jarrett for the Senate seat. He also alleged that convicted felon Tony Rezko funneled large amounts of cash through the Obama campaign.
But a judge refused to grant that subpoena.
For Reid's part, his spokesman Manley confirmed that the senator's lawyer had been served a subpoena.
Still, he told the Sun-Times, "This action does not mean that Senator Reid will testify at trial."