Unrepentant

Blago Taunts U.S. Attorney

After holdout juror forces mistrial on most charges.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich may have escaped with his skin on Tuesday, but just barely: The Associated Press says 11 of 12 jurors were ready to convict Blagojevich on more of the 24 charges against him, but a lone juror forced a holdout on all but the least serious charge, lying to the FBI. Blagojevich and his attorney used the opportunity of the mistrial to mock the prosecutor that made the case against him. “We have a prosecutor who has wasted and wanted to spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money to take me away from my family and my home,” Blagojevich said, while his attorney said, "This guy [U.S. Attorney Patrick] Fitzgerald is a master at indicting people for noncriminal activity. This guy is nuts." U.S. attorneys plan to retry the case.