Blago atty. wants aides subpoenaed

[firedupdem]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16864.html

An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has asked a panel of Illinois state lawmakers who are considering impeaching the embattled governor to subpoena two of President-elect Barack Obama’s top aides.

The attorney, Ed Genson, requested that incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and longtime Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett testify before the 21-member panel.

The panel is looking into several corruption charges, including the allegation that Blagojevich tried to sell the appointment to Obama's former Senate seat. While the transition team released its own report on Tuesday that found no wrongdoing by transition members, the Illinois panel’s proceedings are expected to go on for weeks.

The state Supreme Court denied a motion to deem Blagojevich unfit to serve, and on Monday U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald denied the committee’s requests for interviews with key witnesses, including members of Blagojevich’s staff, since those could interfere with his ongoing investigation of the alleged Senate seat sale.

Obama, Emanuel and Jarrett were each interviewed by FBI agents and federal prosecutors last week about their dealings with the Illinois governor, a fact first made public in the transition's report, issued the days before Christmas Eve as Obama vacationed in Hawaii and Emanuel visited Africa. None of the three have spoken to the press about the interviews or Blagojevich since the report's release.