Governor rips into press

Gov. Blagojevich on Tuesday again blasted the news media for focusing too heavily on the Tony Rezko case and said he's still withholding judgment about his former adviser and fund-raiser, who was jailed this week for violating bail.

"You could suggest maybe why those newspapers are getting skinnier and skinnier [is] because they write about stuff that doesn't really matter to people," Blagojevich said toward the end of a press conference about veterans' health.

When asked if he regretted his relationship with Rezko, Blagojevich replied, "There's a process that we call the court system that has to play itself out.

"This gentleman you're talking about is now a national figure," Blagojevich said, a reference to Rezko's fund-raising ties to Barack Obama.

Political candidates, the governor added, "presume and hope that people who are helping us are doing things honestly and forthrightly, and sometimes there are allegations . . . and you deal with all the 'incoming' that comes along with it, whether you're a governor of the state of Illinois or a presidential candidate."

Chris Fusco