Blago's Attorneys to Prosecutors: Stop Making Faces

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 31, 2011 7:20PM

The gift that keeps on giving that is Rod Blagojevich on the witness stand in his retrial is now in its third day. Today, amid Blago's denials that he shook down road building official Gerald Krozel for $500,000 in contributions came this little item that made us do a spit take.

Blagojevich's attorneys complained to Judge James Zagel they believe prosecutors are distracting jurors during Blagojevich's testimony by making faces. Zagel said that the only face making being made in his courtroom is coming from the first row behind the defense, where Patti Blagojevich is sitting.

We can totally imagine Patti Blagojevich making some spoiled girl faces as the prosecution questions her husband. Faces like sticking her tongue out in a gagging face, rolling her eyes, shaking her head back and forth and the old make a gun with one hand, put it to your temple, mime firing a bullet into your head and use the other hand to mimic brain splatter.

Another comic gem from today's testimony cam when Blagojevich was being questioned about allegedly trying to shake down a horse racing exec into a $100,000 campaign contribution. Blagojevich attorney Aaron Goldstein was referring to a recording of former aide Lon Monk where he told the exec that it would cost him "$9,000 a day, every day" that Blagojevich didn't sign the bill. Blagojevich was trying to explain the context of Monk's conversation when a break was called due to technical difficulties.

Apparently, the witness mic wasn't working because Blagojevich was leaning on the on/off switch.