One day after issuing a scathing statement, calling prosecutors “cowards and liars,” former Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich stood in a federal courtroom and did not say one word.  Today Judge Zagel told Blagojevich and his attorneys that he (Zagel) is the only one who will decide how many of the FBI’s wiretap recordings will be played for the jury in Blago’s corruption trial, scheduled to start in June.

Judge Zagel said he will not waste the jury’s time by playing all 500 hours of the tapes during the trial. “I will not allow the time of these jurors to be needlessly consumed,” Zagel said. Over the past few months, Blagojevich has repeatedly said he wants prosecutors to “play all the tapes,” because if jurors hear all the tapes he is confident he will be found innocent of all the charges against him. Zagel used a boxing analogy telling Blago and his defense attorneys today he would not allow any more “legal head butts.”

On Tuesday, Blagojevich challenged US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to show up in court for today’s hearing, but Fitzgerald was not present. It was standing room only in the court room today. More than 50 people (including attorneys and members of the public, not related to the case) lined up well in advance of the 12pm start time… to get a seat inside the courtroom, causing several members of the media to be shut out of the hearing, after all the seats were filled.

Listen to Blago’s comments after today’s hearing, as he reacts to what Judge Zagel had to say.

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