Blagojevich stays on the defensive on Letterman, King

A studio audience erupted into laughter as Rod Blagojevich told David Letterman Tuesday he was "innocent" of the criminal charges against him in an interview that capped off a second national media blitz for the ousted governor.

The awkward moment came after Letterman rattled off three modern Illinois governors to go to prison and asked, "Is this just part of the oath of office you guys take? How is that possible? What is that?"

Letterman quickly followed-up by pointing out the more than dozen shows Blagojevich has gone on since last week.

"The more you talked," Letterman joked, "and the more you repeated your innocence, the more I said to myself, 'Oh, this guy is guilty.'"

"Why exactly are you here? Honest to God," asked Letterman, as his guest settled into his seat.

"Well, you know, I've been wanting to be on your show in the worst way for the longest..."

"Well, you are on in the worst way, believe me," the host interrupted.

A flustered Blagojevich rebutted, "I assert my innocence because it is the truth. The alternative is to sit in a corner, hide, cower in a fetal position and ... accept what people are saying that you did."

Letterman's skewering came with an expected joke about the governor's iconic helmet of hair.

On CNN's "Larry King Live," Blagojevich called the interview with Letterman "challenging."

"It was not an easy thing to do," he said in the prerecorded segment.

Overall, the governor's second national media blitz played out much like the first, with attacks on lawmakers for ousting him, allegations of a hidden conspiracy to overthrow him and insistence the impeachment process was rigged.

And again the governor still refuses to detail the context of his wiretapped conversations that allegedly put him in handcuffs even though he insists that context will prove he is not guilty.

On Larry King, Blagojevich was confronted with portions of conversations federal prosecutors are using against him. The tapes were played for the state Senate before the vote to convict and they directly show Blagojevich agreeing with an aide to pressure a racetrack owner for a campaign contribution by discussing legislation that would benefit that racetrack owner.

Blagojevich dodged King's questions about the recordings and insisted they show no wrongdoing.

The ex-governor then said he wants all the federal tapes released to provide the context, but that directly contradicts a statement filed in court by his attorney earlier this month that opposes the release of any tapes or transcripts.

The harder the questions got with King, the more Blagojevich lashed out at lawmakers, accusing them of "hypocrisy" for voting him out of office.

He told King lawmakers "are not exactly acting with clean hands."

"The hypocrisy of these politicians is incredible," Blagojevich said.

The former governor just last week was pleading with senators in Springfield to save his job and overlook the corruption charges he faces as well as the years of allegations of fraud within his administration. Senators voted 59-0 to kick him out office and ban him from running for a post in Illinois again.

In most of his interviews, Blagojevich claimed senators offered him a chance to step aside after his Dec. 9 arrest, saving his salary for two years and keeping his state-funded security detail. He refused the offer, he said on the "Today" show, because he "wouldn't let them buy me off."

A spokesman for Ill. Senate President John Cullerton denied that ever happened.

He also brought up again his allegation that removing him was a disguise to get him out of office to raise taxes.

On a New York radio program he said Pat Quinn, who succeeded him, was ready to break a campaign promise.

"Both of us promised not to raise the income tax on people," Blagojevich told WCBS 880 AM. "I kept my promise. I guarantee you he is going to break it. This is as much about raising taxes on people than anything else."

On the "Today" show, Meredith Vieira confronted Blagojevich about his repeated assertion that he didn't "intend" to commit any crimes. He said so several times in interviews on in his final speech Thursday on the Senate floor.

"What does that mean ... you did it or you didn't do it?" she pressed.

Blagojevich seemed to suggest he could do both.

"I think it speaks for itself. I didn't intend to create any criminal act," Blagojevich said, "and I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing."

While now out of office, Blagojevich still faces trial on the criminal charges that he tried to trade state business for personal gain, including an appointment to the U.S. Senate and a grant to a children's hospital. The investigation is ongoing.

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