Jury selection continues Monday in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The reality-show loving politician better hope his media tour payed off. This is when the strategy of thrusting himself on the American public as a bumbling-but-affable guy is supposed to pay dividends.
So far it doesn't look great for the governor.
One potential juror, interviewed last week, cited Blagojevich's television appearances, saying she viewed it as self-promotion. Blagojevich appeared on NBC's reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice" and on several talk shows.
Some of the potential jurors questioned so far included two former Marines, a Polish-born housekeeping supervisor, a hospital administrator, a retired videotape librarian, a bank manager, a woman who does community volunteer work and a federal Homeland Security supervisor at O'Hare International Airport.
Judge James B. Zagel is expected to question about 30 more jurors Monday, after quizzing 59 potential jurors in two days and booting out 20 over objections from both sides. The final panel will be whittled down to 12 jurors plus alternates Tuesday before lawyers launch into their opening statements.
It's the last chance for lawyers on both sides to make crucial arguments as to the make up of the jury. Zagel is adamant about beginning opening statements Tuesday; he refused to delay the trial start so the Blagojeviches could attend the graduation of their grammar school daughter.
Get Breaking SMS Alerts: News happens at inopportune times, like during the Super Bowl (thanks, Scott Lee Cohen). But you can still be the first to know when political news breaks:
Text WARDROOM to 622669
