Jury gets case in Blagojevich corruption trial

CHICAGO (AP) — Rod Blagojevich's fate was in the hands of jurors Wednesday as they prepared to begin deciding whether the impeached Illinois governor tried to sell a nomination to President Barack Obama's former Senate seat and schemed to use his political power for personal gain.

Jurors, weighing evidence against the second Illinois governor in a row to be charged with corruption in office, first received lengthy instructions from the judge on how their deliberations should be conducted — including one instruction that they are not to consider the fact that Blagojevich did not testify.

"I'm not expecting" a speedy verdict, Judge James B. Zagel said earlier.

One critical instruction he gave was that jurors could make "reasonable inferences." That is important because prosecutors said in their closing arguments that Blagojevich did not point-blank demand money in exchange for something but implied it.

During the seven weeks of testimony, jurors heard evidence that ranged from a hospital administrator saying he believed Blagojevich was threatening to withhold state money unless he ponied up a campaign contribution to a former deputy governor recounting how Blagojevich hid in the bathroom to avoid state business.

Prosecutors portrayed him as a greedy, smart political schemer determined to use his power to enrich himself, while his attorney characterized him as an insecure bumbler who talked too much and had terrible judgment about who to trust.

Blagojevich said loudly and often that he planned to testify, but said he decided on the advice of his attorneys not to. They said the government hadn't proved its case. That decision shortened the trial considerably.