Cook County Commissioner William Beavers continued his public offensive today while defending himself in court.

His federal tax-evasion trial is all set  and he says the government tells some tall tales.

Beavers is accused of failing to pay taxes on tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money that he spent on personal expenses.

He says he’s innocent and is being prosecuted because he wouldn’t help the feds make cases against other public officials.

The trial was scheduled to start today but was delayed for a day allowing attorneys to fine-tune a questionnaire for prospective jurors.