Disgraced governor meets Conrad Black lawyer

ILLINOIS Governor Rod Blagojevich met with a renowned Chicago criminal lawyer over the weekend as he weighed his legal options on how to fight a scandal that has left his career in tatters and disrupted president-elect Barack Obama’s White House transition.

The Democratic governor had a four-hour meeting with Ed Genson in the lawyer’s downtown office. Genson has defended newspaper baron Conrad Black, R&B singer R Kelly and numerous public figures on corruption charges, earning a reputation as the lawyer big shots call when they get in a bind in Chicago.

Genson confirmed the two met, but would not discuss details. When asked if he would take the case, Genson said: “We’ll make our mutual decision on Monday.”

Blagojevich had brushed back calls for his resignation after he was charged with trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat. He sought to project a business-as-usual image, going to work every day and handling state business.

As the legal manoeuvring intensified, some observers speculated he might be trying to leverage the governorship to his advantage in his criminal case — just like prosecutors said he did with the Senate seat for financial gain.

“I would be saying, ‘Let me see what I can get in exchange for you resigning. Don’t just give it up for nothing. Let me see if I can get you a better deal’,” said Steve Cron, a defence lawyer from Santa Monica, California.

Others suggested his lingering refusal to resign is more rooted in his ego than anything else. The governor has been known to love being in the spotlight, whether the attention is good or bad.

“You would think he would see his life collapsing around him,” said Chicago defence lawyer John Beal, who was in the courtroom with Blagojevich last week. “But he was the centre of attention and seemed to love it.”

The scandal continued to hound Jesse Jackson Jr and Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s choice for chief of staff. About a dozen protesters stood outside Jackson’s office on Saturday demanding his resignation, and Republicans called for more information from Obama about Emanuel’s role in the Senate selection process.

The Chicago Tribune reported Emanuel had conversations — captured on wiretaps — before the election with the Blagojevich administration about who would replace Obama in the Senate. The report did not suggest any deal-making in the conversations, and Obama has strongly denied that anyone on his team committed wrongdoing.

Jackson was identified as one of the candidates Blagojevich was considering to replace Obama.