 "If
I thought the governor was embarking on a
course of action that would immediately harm
or irreparably damage him, I would try to
intervene or stop him," Harris testified on
Wednesday afternoon during Blagojevich's
federal corruption trial.
So when Blagojevich asked him to
strong-arm a leading Chicago newspaper,
Harris refused to comply.
"You need to make wholesale changes."
In a call with Blagojevich recorded on
Nov. 6, 2008, that was the message Harris
promised to deliver to representatives of
Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell.
Blagojevich was furious about the paper's
negative editorials at the time of the call,
and he was not shy about sharing that
frustration with Harris.
But Harris never delivered the message.
"I thought it was wrong to do so," he
testified. "I wasn't comfortable delivering
that directive."
The governor's office had been working
with Zell to sell the Tribune-owned Chicago
Cubs and Wrigley Field -- a deal worth
hundreds of millions of dollars.
Harris said Blagojevich wanted him to
threaten the businessman's representatives
with "derailing" the deal if the Tribune did
not fire members of the paper's editorial
board.
But Harris said he did not always balk at
the governor's alleged shakedowns.
The star prosecution witness could be
heard later in the conversation giving
Blagojevich tips on how to use President
Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat to
get a Cabinet position in the
administration.
Obama wanted the governor to appoint his
friend, businesswoman Valerie Jarrett, to
the seat. But Blagojevich said such a move
would come with a price
The former governor just could not figure
out that price, so he turned to Harris for
advice.
Harris told his boss to "get blunt" with
Obama allies when negotiating a Jarrett
appointment.
He even gave Blagojevich some talking
points to use in potential negotiations with
labor leader and self-declared Obama
representative Tom Balanoff, president of
the Service Employees International Union
Illinois Council and vice president of its
International Executive Board.
"(Say), how does this help me with the
unfinished business (in Springfield) and my
family?" Harris said on the tape.
"That's good," Blagojevich replied.
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top of second column]
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Harris testified that he was referring to
Blagojevich's trouble getting legislation
passed with Illinois House Speaker Michael
Madigan, as well as his own financial
security.
Harris said Blagojevich was plotting to
use Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
to convince Obama that the governor was
considering other "credible alternatives" to
the seat.
The tapes would seem to indicate
Blagojevich was hoping Obama would reward
him with a Cabinet post of some sort or a
job in the private sector for sacrificing
the benefits of a Madigan appointment.
Harris' testified about Blagojevich's
intense desire to leave political office
behind.
The prosecution's most recent tapes
demonstrate that Blagojevich had begun to
come to terms with the notion that Obama
could refuse to appoint him to his Cabinet.
The tapes show Blagojevich considered
working with Obama supporters at the SEIU --
one of the biggest labor unions in the
country -- to land him or his wife, Patti, a
lucrative private-sector job.
Harris said Blagojevich wanted to work
with Balanoff and Obama to replace the head
of an existing political foundation, such as
the union's Change to Win campaign.
"I think (your request) comes across very
reasonably," Harris said on tape. "You're
not being crass or overtly bargaining."
Harris is testifying against his old boss
in exchange for a reduced sentence on a
bribery charge he pleaded guilty to earlier
this year.
Blagojevich faces up to 415 years in
prison of convicted of more than 20 counts
of corruption.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
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