The brother of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to block some wire taps from being played in his corruption trial.
Robert Blagojevich ran the campaign fund for his brother, the former governor. He’s been charged with wire fraud in the federal corruption case against the brothers.
As part of the case, the FBI recorded about 1,500 wire tapped phone conversations Robert had, including some with his family.
Robert Blagojevich’s attorney is Michael Ettinger. He says those conversations are private and shouldn’t have been recorded.
ETTINGER: It went far and beyond. It wasn’t two, three calls. Four calls. Our position is, when you heard his wife on the phone, her voice, hang up. That’s it.
In a recent court filing, Ettinger writes the FBI has more than five hours of Robert Blagojevich talking to his wife or son. He says those recordings are unrelated to the corruption case and shouldn’t be allowed in court.
The Blagojevich brothers’ trial is scheduled to begin in the summer. Both have pleaded not guilty.