'Best friends' not very chummy in court

Is Alonzo Monk the best friend of Rod Blagojevich? That's the question the former Illinois governor's lawyer, Sam Adam Jr., put to Monk Monday in federal court.

"Yeah," Monk granted, "good friend."

Though the question was in present tense, the two don't act that way in court, where Monk has laid bare what he says was a conspiracy to make money off Blagojevich's term as governor and extort campaign contributions through state business.

Monk, Blagojevich's former chief of staff, makes a point of turning his back to Rod and Patti Blagojevich as he walks past them to take the witness stand and avoids looking their way as he testifies.

Blagojevich has been admonished by Judge James Zagel not to play to the jury with overexpressive reactions to testimony, but he couldn't contain himself Monday, both during the government's final questioning of Monk and the start of cross-examination, which is expected to continue through Tuesday.

During initial questioning, Blagojevich took notes and only sometimes looked at Monk, but he stared daggers at him when Monk testified about getting Maywood and Balmoral Park racetrack owner John Johnston to contribute $100,000 to Blagojevich in late 2008, just as the governor was about to sign the extension of a racetrack bill granting subsidies to the industry paid by riverboat casinos.

Blagojevich looked incredulous when Monk told of lying to him about visiting his father when instead he was taking golf trips with friends, just so he wouldn't get scolded by Blagojevich for wasting fundraising time.

Adam is just as expressive at times, sometimes scowling, sometimes furrowing his brow, and he leaned forward and placed his chin on his fist when Monk said he made a point of paying lip service to keeping a deal to sign the horse-racing bill separate from fundraising efforts with Johnston, something Adam seized on right away when his turn came to question Monk Monday afternoon.

Patti Blagojevich, who has usually worn a pout in court, turned a Mona Lisa smile at that, and Rod Blagojevich also cracked a grimace of a smile when Monk admitted to being his best friend.

At the end of the day's testimony, Monk - Blagojevich's former college roommate who was in his wedding party - left the court without looking at Blagojevich, while Blagojevich made a show of shaking Adam's hand.