Jury Hears Audio of Blagojevich Swearing, Bartering for Obama's Senate Seat

Chicago – The "F" bomb echoed through the courtroom Wednesday in Rod Blagojevich's corruption retrial, as recorded phone calls were played between the former Illinois governor and his then Deputy Governor Bob Greenlee.

It was no surprise to learn of the governor’s vulgar language because we heard it during the first trial, but it seemed to impact the jury, as some members seemed to smirk and raise their eyebrows while it was played.

It was no surprise to learn of the governor’s vulgar language because we heard it during the first trial, but it seemed to impact the jury, as some members seemed to smirk and raise their eyebrows while it was played.

The prosecution seems to have trimmed the fat off the testimony in the last trial, by cutting down on witnesses and zeroing in on the claim that Rod Blagojevich tried to sell Barack Obama's former Senate seat.

Greenlee testified that Blagojevich told him he wanted to use the appointment of the Senate seat to help him remain relevant on the national stage. Blagojevich was hoping to be made Secretary of Health and Human Services in exchange for appointing Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarret to the senate seat, according to Greenlee. An ambassadorship was also of interest to Blagojevich, so Greenlee made a list of of which appointments could be most influential.

When Blagojevich learned the opportunities he was hoping for likely were not going to occur, a very frustrated Blagojevich was heard on a recorded phone call with Greenlee saying he thought his hopes for a national office position were dashed. "My upward trajectory is f***ing stalled if not f***ing ruined by Obama!" Blago is heard saying. "His election blocks me now from any upward movement...Now is the time to put my f***ing wife and children first...I f***ing busted my a**...I fought every f***ing special interest out there to prevent them from raising taxes and all I got is 13%! (approval rating in Illinois) F*** them!"

Former state employee Rajinder Bedi also testified today, claiming that he attempted to facilitate a money exchange for appointing Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior to the open senate seat. Bedi, who is testifying with immunity, said Jackson's good friend Raghu Nayak would donate a lot of money to Blagojevich's campaign if Jackson were given the seat.

Bedi was working through Blagojevich's brother Robert, who told him the governor "would never appoint Jackson" because Jackson hadn't been supportive of Blagojevich.

Earlier in the day, prior to court, defense attorneys requested a mistrial, saying that during testimony, prosecutors are constantly objecting. "We're being cut off at the knees and completely stripped of the ability to ask any meaningful questions of witnesses." The defense claimed that due to objections and approved pretrial motions the government is "blocking us from asking any questions the government deems helpful to defense."

Prosecutors are asking the witnesses "a condensed amount of questions", and that "the testimony is misleading to the jury." "We're looking like buffoons who don't know what we're doing. We do know what we're doing."

Judge Zagel denied the request, saying the "grounds (for mistrial given by the defense) are too general."