The Chicago Tribune is reporting that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted on Monday on 17 charges — 11 criminal counts related to brazenly trying to sell President Barack Obama's old U.S. Senate seat and six counts involving fund-raising shakedowns of a hospital executive and racetrack owner. In its 10th day of deliberations, the 11-woman, one-man jury convicted Blagojevich less than a year after the first jury to hear the case found him guilty of one criminal charge but deadlocked on the rest.
The verdict could lead to a lengthy prison term for Blagojevich, normally a hard-to-silence talking machine who defied legal convention after his arrest and kept a high media profile. But Monday, as he left court with his wife, Patti, Blagojevich was nearly tongue-tied.
"I, frankly, am stunned," said Blagojevich, who was barred after the verdict from traveling outside northern Illinois without court permission. "There's not much left to say other than we want to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them and try to sort things out."
The Blagojeviches definitely have some explaining to do, skipping around and acting as if they have no cares in the world. We suspect that Blagojevich thought he would beat the rap, but this jury, which found him "likable but guilty," had other ideas. It will be interesting to see how long his sentence will be.
Blagojevich shouldn't fret too much. His love of the spotlight might yield him an opportunity to work in media, like former dethroned New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Whatever the case, we have one question for the man who once famously said he was blacker than Obama: Is this conviction black enough for you?
Read more at the Chicago Tribune.
In other news: VIDEO: Bill Maher Gives Obama Impersonator a Do-Over.
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