Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett have received subpoenas from defense lawyers in the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, joining a long list of federal officials who could be called to testify in the closely watched trial.
A White House official confirmed that Emanuel, President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, and Jarrett, one of Obama’s senior advisers, received the subpoenas, the existence of which were first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday afternoon.
Blagojevich faces charges ranging from corrupt practices on the state level to trying to sell his power to appoint a successor to then-Sen. Barack Obama when Obama won the presidency in late 2008.
In addition to Emanuel and Jarrett, Blagojevich’s defense team has issued subpoenas to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
The trial is set to begin Thursday in Chicago.
Emanuel could shed light on the accuracy of two charges against Blagojevich: that he tried to sell the Senate seat and that he attempted to extort campaign money from Emanuel in exchange for state support of a school project that Emanuel backed when he was a congressman in the same 5th District Blagojevich once represented.
Blagojevich is accused of trying to trade the appointment of Jarrett to the Senate seat for the post of secretary of Health and Human Services or other jobs in the administration. According to a report issued by Obama’s transition team in late 2008, a union official who acted as a conduit for Blagojevich and Jarrett discussed Blagojevich’s interest in the HHS job with Jarrett but not in terms of a quid pro quo. Jarrett later removed her name from consideration and joined the administration.
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