Federal Prosecutors Say Blagojevich Attorneys Misread Ruling
CHICAGO (AP) -- Prosecutors responding to a new argument in Rod Blagojevich's appeal say the former governor's lawyers have misrepresented a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in another case.
Blagojevich's lawyers say an April ruling by the high court found that soliciting contributions is corruption only when a politician makes explicit promises to take official action for a donation.
The Illinois Democrat is imprisoned on corruption charges.
But prosecutors say in a Friday filing that's a misreading of the ruling in McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission. They say the high court didn't conclude an exchange had to be explicitly stated to constitute corruption.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has been considering Blagojevich's appeal for more than six months. It's unclear when they'll rule.
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