* Rob Blagojevich doesn’t want to go down with his brother’s ship…
An attorney for Blagojevich’s brother, Robert, said Monday that he would seek a separate trial, citing the prejudice his client could face by sitting next to such a controversial figure. […]
“It was basically his decision, not mine,” attorney Michael Ettinger, who represents Robert Blagojevich, said after court of his client’s desire to be tried separately from his brother.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Blagojevich’s brother may have decided to seek a separate trial after the former governor’s lawyers moved to delay the trial, now scheduled to begin June 3.
Rod and Rob weren’t close as adults until the guv asked the brother to come up and run his campaign fundraising operation. Perhaps the brother is now finding out how weird and off-the-wall (and headed for prison) the former governor really is.
* Meanwhile, a federal judge has denied a motion to delay the trial until September…
Lawyers for Blagojevich wanted the delay to see how the Supreme Court would rule on three other cases they said will be a key part of their defense against the charges. The judge denied the request and said the trial will begin in June as scheduled.
Judge James Zagel said he may postpone the start of the trial, but not until September.
“Should there be a Supreme Court decision which affects some of the legal theories of this case it certainly would be foolish to begin something and then have to stop it,” said Sheldon Sorosky, Blagojevich’s attorney.
* Prosecutors joined the defense in a motion to sever Bill Cellini from Rod Blagojevich’s trial and the judge granted it yesterday…
Cellini’s attorney, Dan K. Webb, issued a statement saying the decision to severe his client and possibly try him separately “demonstrates what we have said all along — that there was never any justification for including Bill Cellini in any indictment with former Gov. Blagojevich.”
Webb said Cellini doesn’t know Blagojevich, has never spoken on the phone with the former governor and was unaware of the alleged fundraising scheme.
Cellini was charged in three counts along with former Blagojevich chief fundraiser Christopher G. Kelly, was found dead in what police say was a suicide, just days before he was to start serving eight years in prison.
Prosecutors urged Zagel to drop Cellini from the trial, saying that Kelly had been the key figure who linked him to Blagojevich. They said Kelly’s death had erased much of the “overlap” in evidence between Blagojevich and Cellini.
Dan Webb’s statement on behalf of his client could cause a bit of political heartburn, however…
“Mr. Cellini is a lifelong Republican who supported both Jim Ryan and Judy Barr-Topinka in their campaigns against Rod Blagojevich.”
I’m sure that neither of those current candidates want that fact dredged up again.