Rod Blagojevich seeks third trial, accuses prosecutors and judge of ‘overwhelming bias’

Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois who competed in season 9 of ABC’s The Celebrity Apprentice, is seeking a third trial after accusing prosecutors and the presiding judge at his recent retrial of judicial bias and refusing to allow evidence that would have provided context for recordings obtained by the FBI.

Blagojevich’s legal team issued a 158-page document in which they argued that “fundamentally unfair proceedings” influenced jurors to convict him on 17 of 20 criminal counts, including an allegation that he tried to sell or trade a Senate seat that once belonged to President Barack Obama in exchange for political favors.

“It is a case of overwhelming bias against the defense in which the playing field was so unlevel that Blagojevich never stood a chance of a fair trial,” the motion says.

Blagojevich, the only chief executive from the state of Illinois to ever be impeached and removed from office, criticized U.S. District Judge James Zagel for ruling in favor of the prosecution at every turn and allowing jurors with biases to stay in the pool.

“There was a thumb on the scale of justice which resulted in the unconstitutional convictions in this case,” the motion reads. “This court stacked the deck against Blagojevich.”