Blagojevich Indicted On 16 Counts

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has been charged with 16 felony counts in his scheme to profit in the naming of someone to fill President Obama's former Senate seat. Also named in the indictment are five close advisers including his brother, Robert. The charges include that old Chicago chestnut racketeering conspiracy, along with wire fraud, extortion and many others.

The prosecutors described salty, jarringly brazen telephone conversations they had secretly intercepted between Mr. Blagojevich and close advisers in which, the prosecutors said, Mr. Blagojevich spoke of collecting cash contributions, a high-paying job, a cabinet-level post or even an ambassadorship in exchange for the Senate seat Mr. Obama had held since 2005, and only weeks earlier, resigned.

"I've got this thing," Mr. Blagojevich said on one recording, according to an affidavit, "and it's [expletive] golden. And I'm not just giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not going to do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there."

Since then, Mr. Blagojevich has denied all wrongdoing and said he would fight his case to whatever legal lengths he could.

Gotta love the Times, referring to Blago's language as "salty." That's putting it f*%#king mildly.

Not a peep out of the Blago camp yet.

UPDATE: Blagojevich is apparently at Walt Disney World with his family.