(Newser) – Rahm Emanuel took the stand for the defense in Rod Blagojevich’s trial today, but he didn’t stay there long, offering some mono-syllabic answers to a few simple questions in an exchange that lasted just three minutes, the Chicago Tribune reports. Things kicked off with some pleasantries: Blagojevich’s lawyer asked Emanuel his most recent position, and he replied, "mayor of the city of Chicago." Asked if that was a new job for him, he quipped, "Unless your subscription to the newspaper ended recently."
But from there it was all business. Blagojevich’s lawyer asked if Emanuel had been asked to arrange a fundraiser for the governor in exchange for a $2 million school grant in his congressional district. "No," the mayor said brusquely. Had he been asked for favors in exchange for appointing President Obama's ally Valerie Jarrett to his old senate seat? “No.” The prosecutor declined to cross examine.
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