Blago lawyer rips former chief of staff

Says Harris 'trying to make up stories to get reduced sentence'

An attorney for Rod Blagojevich on Thursday lashed out at his client's former chief of staff, who a day earlier pleaded guilty to corruption and vowed to testify against the ex-governor.

Veteran defense lawyer Samuel Adam called allegations made by John Harris "fiction" and accused Harris of saying whatever it took to get a break in prison time.

"All he's doing right now is trying to make up stories in order to get a reduced sentence," Adam told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He's dealing in his own fiction."

The remarks come a day after Harris, 47, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to scheming to secure a job for Blagojevich in exchange for his appointing a successor to President Obama's U.S. Senate seat.

In the plea, Harris indicates that Blagojevich gave him various orders that Harris believed to be illegal or inappropriate, so he didn't carry them out. Adam called those allegations suspect and questioned whether Harris is corroborated on tape, noting that recorded phone calls weren't excerpted in his plea deal.

In the course of its investigation last year, the FBI wiretapped numerous phones, including Harris' cell phone.

"When someone tells you he was told to do something by the governor then says 'but I didn't do it,' all that means is he can't be corroborated," Adam said. "Harris will make up anything."

He criticized Harris' lawyer, Terry Ekl, for vouching for Harris as a good witness.

Ekl said every allegation in the 26-page document is true. "Most, if not all, of the factual statements in the plea agreement can be corroborated," Ekl said Thursday.