The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Springfield

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attorney is offering a glimpse of his client's unfolding legal strategy, saying he'll challenge the lawfulness of court-ordered wiretaps at the heart of federal corruption allegations against the Democrat. But the two-term governor may go public to defend himself first.

With Blagojevich saying he's itching to talk, perhaps as early as Friday, Chicago attorney Ed Genson continued bashing what's gotten his client in a legal bind: FBI wiretaps that prosecutors say catch Blagojevich scheming to deal President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for campaign cash or a plum job.

Genson told an Illinois House panel considering whether to impeach Blagojevich that its consideration of the recorded excerpts he cast as meaningless "jabbering" was inappropriate, if not illegal. "I think you're using evidence that was illegally obtained," he said Thursday.

After the committee recessed its hearing until next week, Genson told reporters he planned to go after the taped conversations in court at some point.

Members of the House panel pledged Thursday to do nothing that would interfere with the investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. If Fitzgerald asks lawmakers not to interview certain witnesses, the panelists will abide by that, they said.

"The fact that no one has denied that the governor has said those things (on tape) is relevant. That evidence already is on our record," said state Rep. Lou Lang, a suburban Chicago Democrat.

While hopeful that Fitzgerald lets the panel "go in some directions" with some potential witnesses in the criminal case, "if he shuts us down completely, this committee will deal with it," Lang said.

Blagojevich's first substantial public comments - other than snippets shouted to reporters camped outside his Chicago home since his arrest last week - could come as early as Friday, Genson said. The attorney didn't sound keen on the prospect.

"I'm a lawyer by trade - I don't like my clients to talk to anybody," he said.

Genson said he expected federal grand jurors to eventually indict his client, which would likely unseal many of the documents in support of the charges, perhaps marking the point where his legal attack may truly begin.

"I'm talking that within the next few months the air will clear a little bit and we'll be able to get access to all the things that we need to get access to," he said. "And I'll be able to look at those things."