Judge refuses Blagojevich request to leave U.S. for reality TV show

From TheMatadorOnline.com:

By Jeff Coen and John Chase
Chicago Tribune
(MCT)

CHICAGO — A federal judge on Tuesday denied former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's bid to join a reality TV show in Costa Rica and told him it's time he focus on the actual reality of his criminal trial.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel told Blagojevich it was a "bad idea" for the ex-governor to spend a few weeks running through the jungle trying not to get voted off a show by viewers, all while ignoring the voluminous government evidence against him.

The "great shock" of seeing perhaps tens of thousands of pages of documents — and digesting their contents — will lead to a better sense of what kind of jeopardy the sweeping federal case represents for Blagojevich, the judge said.

"The defendant has not gone through either of those preliminary stages," Zagel said. "It's way too soon. I don't think the defendant in all honesty fully understands, nor could he understand, (having) not seen everything, the position he finds himself in."

Blagojevich's lawyer, Sheldon Sorosky, described the role on "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" as a job for the ousted governor, who he said is essentially broke. He could have earned as much as $123,250 on the program.

In one bit of good news for Blagojevich, Zagel indicated he might allow the former governor to use the nearly $2.7 million in his campaign fund to help pay his legal defense.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges he ran state government as a criminal enterprise to enrich himself and close aides, advisers and fundraisers. Tuesday marked his second appearance in court in just a week.

Following the hearing, Blagojevich endured another scrum with the media and public outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.

Asked about Zagel's comments that he doesn't understand the jeopardy he faces, Blagojevich said he looks forward to being vindicated in court.

"I'm fully aware of what the allegations are and I know what the truth is concerning me and I know that I've done absolutely nothing wrong," he said. "And I'm actually looking forward to this day in court. ... I want to prove my innocence. I want to vindicate myself. I want to clear my name."

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During the melee, Sorosky grasped onto a Tiffany bag that someone had given to Blagojevich before court. Inside, he said, was a gift: a candlestick.

"I don't even know if I can take it," Blagojevich said in apparent reference to state rules that track gifts for elected officials. A reporter pointed out he was no longer governor and could take whatever gifts he'd like.

When asked by a reporter how active a role he will play in his own defense, Blagojevich replied, "Very active."

"I know a lot of things about me," he said.

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Sorosky said he plans to quickly file a motion to gain access to the campaign funds for legal bills. Zagel encouraged Sorosky to make the request because Blagojevich's attorney has indicated the ex-governor and former first lady Patricia Blagojevich are unemployed and taxpayers would then have to pay his legal bills.

"It shows he was an honest man," Sorosky said when asked later if Blagojevich is really broke.

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was not able to pay his attorneys with money from his campaign fund in part because that fund itself had previously been convicted of wrongdoing.

During the hearing, Sorosky brought along a representative from the TV show's production company and tried to convince Zagel to allow Blagojevich to travel outside the U.S. for the show. NBC was willing to pay for two security guards to watch Blagojevich "24 hours a day" and the former governor would put up his house as bail, he said.

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Sorosky said the government presumes the governor will run away but that he wanted only to raise money for his family.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar said it is impossible to predict the actions of the former governor, especially once he realizes he potentially could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

"What Mr. Blagojevich will do ... is an inherently difficult proposition," Schar said.

"I do not have confidence that things will not go astray," Zagel said in denying Blagojevich's request.

Two former chiefs of staff for Blagojevich, John Harris and Lon Monk, are expected to plead guilty and testify against Blagojevich, Schar said. It is the first time law enforcement officials have publicly confirmed that Monk is cooperating.

NBC issued a statement saying the production wouldn't relocate to a site within the United States so Blagojevich could participate. In a short-lived 2003 version of the show, contestants had to put insects, worms and rats in their pants, sit in a tank of leeches and wade through a swamp populated by snakes and eels.

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(Chicago Tribune reporters Robert Mitchum and Stacy St. Clair contributed to this report.)

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