Former Illinois Governor's Unusual Move To Influence A Jury

Crain's Chicago Business reports:

(AP) — George Ryan's defense lawyers rested their case Thursday, but not before federal prosecutors ripped into them, saying they had staged an overnight media campaign in which the former governor's wife went on Chicago television stations in a "desperate, orchestrated effort to influence this jury."

"This, judge, is an affront to the court," lead prosecutor Patrick M. Collins told U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, who is presiding over Ryan's racketeering and fraud trial.

Collins said television reporters were brought to the powerful Loop law firm of Winston & Strawn, which is representing Ryan, and granted one-on-one interviews in which Lura Lynn Ryan said her husband had been indicted only because he is an opponent of the death penalty.

"This is fundamentally untrue," Collins said. He said that the parade of reporters to the firm "went on all night last night - there were people tramping in and out of Winston & Strawn."

That's the Illinois way.