It's one thing to impugn the collective integrity of Illinois' governors. But when you attack the integrity of their lawyers, well, perhaps you've gone too far.
"The Good Wife" has borrowed liberally from the state's corruption cases for its storylines, with the Rod Blagojevich saga typically providing the most fodder. Sunday's episode, however, misstated the facts of the disgraced governor's case to further an important plot point.
With fictional Gov. Peter Florrick (the occasionally bad husband of the titular good wife) under investigation for voter fraud, investigators are pressing his former private attorney Will Gardner (the occasionally bad ex-lover of the titular good wife) to flip on him. When Gardner repeatedly refused to testify before a grand jury because of attorney-client privilege, Agent Nelson Dubek referenced the Blagojevich case in an effort to secure his cooperation.
"I can take my time, Mr. Gardner," Dubek said. "I was on the Blagojevich case. We always knew that sooner or later the lawyers would talk. They want to talk. They need to talk. They know that attorney-client privilege only gets them so far."
Here's hoping Will Gardner doesn't fall for that argument -- because it's not true.
No Blagojevich lawyers testified against the former governor during either of his two corruption trials. Prosecutors sought to force Bill Quinlan, Blagojevich's general counsel, to testify against him but he never appeared on the witness stand.
Blagojevich Chief of Staff John Harris--who has a law degree--did testify against his old boss, but it was not considered a violation of attorney-client privilege because he never served the governor in a legal capacity. Harris is no longer allowed to practice law in Illinois.
The former governor, for his part, wanted the jury to know about legal advice Quinlan gave him while he was contemplating how to fill then-President Elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. But U.S. Judge James Zagel refused to let him share that information after repeated objections from prosecutors.
Blagojevich's longtime personal attorney Sheldon Sorosky represented him in both criminal trials and was never considered a potential witness.
"None of his lawyers flipped--at least that I know of," former Blagojevich defense attorney Sam Adam Jr., said laughing at the show's plotline. "If they did, I'd like to know. We'll put it in the appeal."
Agent Dubek also slightly overstated the lack of integrity in the Illinois' governor's office, seemingly forgetting that four of the previous eight governor's have not gone to prison. That seems far less egregious, however, given that four of them actually have.
"The governor is guilty," Dubek told Gardner's attorney.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"He's the governor of Illinois," Dubek replied.
"And you think they're all corrupt?"
"No, they just happen to be all corrupt," he said.
Blagojevich is serving a 14-year prison sentence in Colorado. His case is under appeal.
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'Good Wife,' bad facts
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