That document, known as the "Santiago proffer" -- sadly, not an esoteric plot device from A Few Good Men -- provides a road map of the evidence prosecutors expect to present. It typically explains the roles various co-conspriators may have played, and what the defendant allegedly said to them in enlisting their help in the conspiracy.
So y'know, the dirt. And the tapes!
Now prosecutors said they filed the Santiago proffer because they didn't want to taint the jury pool. But that's just silly. Blago's just finished a star run on Celebrity Apprentice. He's more well-known now than ever before. There ain't much left to taint.
You could even argue that revealing the proffer would undo some of the good publicity Blago's received lately. Seriously. He was an unorganized buffoon on Apprentice, but man! He was likeable!
The media who want the proffer revealed -- the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times and Associated Press -- say the proffer should be revealed for the public good.
Say their lawyers: "No one could question the public's interest in receiving information about a case alleging public corruption at the highest levels of state government, including the alleged 'sale' of a United States Senate seat by a sitting governor."
The funny: Blago's lawyers plan to object, but only because they say the prosecution takes Blago's quotes out of context. Play all the tapes they say.
