Federal prosecutors won't call Obama friend Whitaker to testify

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Federal prosecutors in Springfield on Tuesday said they would not call Dr. Eric Whitaker, the former state public health chief and friend of President Barack Obama, to testify at a state grant scam trial.


The announcement came a day after prosecutors persuaded a judge to declare Whitaker a hostile witness based on more than two hours of questioning outside the presence of the jury. Whitaker testified that he had "concerns" that the ongoing federal investigation was racially or politically motivated.


On Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Bass immediately announced to U.S. Judge Richard Mills that Whitaker would not be called in the trial because of his "baseless allegations." Bass did not elaborate.

What a lucky guy.