Ill. Gov. arrested in Obama successor probe

[samanthajane13]

By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer Mike Robinson, Associated Press Writer – 24 mins ago



CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if "they're not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it."

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was "a valuable thing — you just don't give it away for nothing."

The affidavit said Blagojevich also discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

It said Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director's fees.

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president's cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor's office. He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit. And he allegedly said a Senate seat would also provide him with corporate contacts if he needed a job and present an opportunity for his wife to work as a lobbyist.

"I want to make money," the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.

The affidavit said Blagojevich expressed frustration at being "stuck" as governor and that he would have access to greater resources if he were indicted while in the U.S. Senate than while sitting as governor.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," Fitzgerald said."

Messages left for Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero and at the governor's press office were not immediately returned Tuesday morning.

Among those being considered for the Senate post include U.S. Reps. Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson Jr.

The affidavit outlined a Nov. 10 call between Blagojevich, his wife, his chief of staff — John Harris, who also was arrested Tuesday — and a group of advisers in which Harris allegedly suggested working out an agreement with the Service Employees International Union.

Under the plan, Blagojevich would appoint a new senator who would be helpful to the president-elect and in turn get a job as head of Change to Win, a group formed by the union. The union would get an unspecified favor from Obama later.

Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussion. In fact, Blagojevich allegedly said in the same conversation that Obama most likely would not appoint him as secretary of health and human services or to an ambassadorship because of the negative publicity that has surrounded the governor for three years.

One day later, according to the affidavit, Blagojevich allegedly told an associate he knew Obama wanted a specific Senate candidate but "they're not going to give me anything except appreciation." He finished the remark with an expletive.

Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to squeeze out campaign contributions.

Corruption in the Blagojevich administration has been the focus of a federal investigation involving an alleged $7 million scheme aimed at squeezing kickbacks out of companies seeking business from the state. Federal prosecutors have acknowledged they're also investigating "serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" under Blagojevich, who has a $177,412 salary, though it's unclear whether he accepts the total.

Political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko who raised money for the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and other charges. Blagojevich's chief fundraiser, Christopher G. Kelly, is due to stand trial early next year on charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service.

Continued-

[samanthajane13]

According to Tuesday's complaint, Blagojevich schemed with Rezko, millionaire-fundraiser turned federal witness Stuart Levine and others to get financial benefits for himself and his campaign committee.

Federal prosecutors said Blagojevich and the chairman of his campaign committee have been speeding up corrupt fundraising activities in the last month to get as much money as possible before the end of the year when a new law would curtail his ability to raise contributions from companies with state contracts worth more than $50,000.

According to the affidavit, agents learned Blagojevich was seeking $2.5 million in campaign contributions by the end of the year, with a large part allegedly to come from companies and individuals who have gotten state contracts or appointments.

The affidavit also outlines Blagojevich conversations related to Tribune Co., which has been hoping to sell Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs which the publishing giant also owns.

Blagojevich was quoted in court papers as telling Harris in a profanity laced Nov. 4 conversation that his recommendation to Tribune executives was to fire the editorial writers "and get us some editorial support."

Harris is quoted as telling the governor Nov. 11 that an unnamed Tribune Owner, presumably CEO Sam Zell, "got the message and is very sensitive to the issue."

The affidavit said Harris quoted a Tribune financial adviser as saying cuts were coming at the newspaper and "reading between the lines he's going after that section," apparently meaning editorial writers. Blagojevich is quoted as saying: "Oh, that's fantastic."

"Wow," Blagojevich allegedly replied. "Keep our fingers crossed. You're the man. Good job, John."

Harris allegedly told Blagojevich in his conversation with the financial adviser he had singled out deputy editorial page editor John McCormick as "somebody who was the most biased and unfair."

After hearing that, Blagojevich allegedly stressed to the head of a Chicago sports consulting firm that it was important to provide state aid for a Wrigley Field sale.

Blagojevich took the chief executive's office in 2003 as a reformer promising to clean up former Gov. George Ryan's mess.

Ryan, a Republican, is serving a 6-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges. A decade-long investigation began with the sale of driver's licenses for bribes and led to the conviction of dozens of people who worked for Ryan when he was secretary of state and governor.

FBI spokesman Frank Bochte said federal agents arrested the governor and Harris simultaneously at their homes at 6:15 a.m. and took them to the Chicago FBI headquarters.

He did not have any details about Blagojevich's arrest, only that he was cooperative with federal agents.

"It was a very calm setting," he said.

The governor was to appear Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan to answer the charges.

___

Associated Press Writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/...rruption_probe

[samanthajane13]

Ill. gov. heads to work with no comment on charges

CHICAGO – The governor of Illinois has returned to work — a day after he was arrested and accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) is out on bond and has denied any wrongdoing.

The governor left his home on Chicago's North Side early Wednesday and waved to the media before quickly getting into a dark SUV without talking to the reporters gathered outside his home.

A short time later, Blagojevich's SUV arrived at his office at the state office building. The vehicle pulled into an underground garage, driving past the mass of photographers gathered outside.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Illinois governor ignores Obama's call to resign
By DEANNA BELLANDI and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writers Deanna Bellandi And Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 40 mins ago



CHICAGO – His career in shreds, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich clung defiantly to power Wednesday, ignoring a call to step down from President-elect Barack Obama and a warning that Senate Democrats will not let him appoint a new senator from the state.

"Everyone is calling for his head," said Barbara Flynn Currie, a leader in the Illinois Senate and, like the governor, a Democrat.

One day after Blagojevich's arrest, fellow Illinois politicians sought to avoid the taint of scandal-by-association.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said at a news conference in Washington that he was Senate Candidate 5 in the government's criminal complaint — a man Blagojevich was secretly recorded as saying might be willing to pay money to gain appointment to Obama's vacant Senate seat. Jackson said he had been assured by prosecutors he was not a target of the investigation, and he emphatically said he had not engaged "whatsoever in any wrongdoing."

Other Democrats in Washington edged away from calls for a special election to fill Obama's place in the Senate, hoping that Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would soon become governor and fill the vacancy on his own. That would assure the party of holding the seat, and on a far faster timetable than any balloting would allow.

Ensconced in his downtown office, Blagojevich gave no sign he was contemplating resigning, and dispatched his spokeswoman, Kelley Quinn, to say it was "business as usual" in his 16th-floor suite, situated a few blocks from Obama's transition headquarters.

"At the end of the day, the top priority for our office is to serve the people, and we have not lost sight of that, nor will we lose sight of that," Quinn said.

One day earlier, federal prosecutors released a thick document that included excerpts of wiretapped conversations in which the governor allegedly schemed to enrich himself by offering to sell Obama's Senate seat for campaign cash or a lucrative job inside or outside government.

Blagojevich, whose 52nd birthday was Wednesday, is charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit bribery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and 10 years, respectively.

More than 24 hours after the arrest, Obama joined other prominent Democrats from his state in calling for Blagojevich's resignation.

"The president-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

Asked whether Obama supports a special election, Gibbs said Obama believes the Illinois General Assembly should consider how to fill the Senate seat and "put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois."

Top Senate Democrats were more pointed in a letter circulated among the rank and file for signatures.

Blagojevich's resignation, followed by an appointment made by a new governor, would "be the most expeditious way for a new senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans," wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and the party's second-ranking leader, Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois.

They added that if Blagojevich chose to "ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority ... to determine whether such a person should be seated."

The Constitution gives the Senate authority to refuse to allow a member to be sworn in.

Top Illinois lawmakers have said they are preparing to call the Legislature into session as early as next week to set a special election to choose Obama's successor. Many officials said Blagojevich should be impeached if he refuses to leave.

Still, it was unclear what incentive the governor had to give up his office.

His attorney said Tuesday that he is innocent, and a resignation might make him appear guilty. The office also gives him a certain amount of clout, which can help him raise money for his defense. And he may need the salary — federal prosecutors say their wiretaps also caught Blagojevich complaining about his financial problems.

"He appears to listen to no one, and his conduct becomes more outrageous as time goes on," said Steve Brown, spokesman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat.

Brown also said that no matter when lawmakers act, Blagojevich could sit on the legislation and still pick a senator. "Despite our best efforts, the governor could play hide the ball. That is an inescapable reality," Brown said. "I'm hoping that's not the case."

The anger toward Blagojevich came amid more fallout over the scandal and new details about the case.

One of his top deputies, Bob Greenlee, resigned without announcing why. Greenlee, 33, was promoted to be a top aide to Blagojevich in June, earning $149,000 a year. Two deputy governors are listed in the criminal complaint, one as a potential Senate candidate to replace Obama and another as a Blagojevich lieutenant who was deeply involved in an alleged scheme to strong-arm the Chicago Tribune into firing some of its editorial writers critical of Blagojevich.

Neither deputy governor was identified by name in the complaint.

___

Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Jackson Jr. denies wrongdoing in Ill. gov scandal
By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer Charles Babington, Associated Press Writer – 23 mins ago



WASHINGTON – Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said Wednesday he openly sought appointment to Barack Obama's Senate seat but denied offering favors in return to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and said he was not involved "whatsoever in any wrongdoing."

A lawyer for Jackson acknowledged that the Illinois Democrat is "Senate Candidate 5" in the 76-page federal complaint filed against Blagojevich, who was arrested Tuesday. Wiretapped conversations suggest Blagojevich felt the candidate would raise campaign money for him in exchange for being appointed to the Senate seat vacated by the president-elect.

Jackson, a seven-term House member and son of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, told reporters in Washington that he spoke with the U.S. attorney's office Tuesday.

"They shared with me that I am not a target of the investigation and that I am not accused of any misconduct," said Jackson, who left the crowded session without taking questions.

U.S. attorney's spokesman Randall Samborn would not confirm or deny Jackson's assertions.

Blagojevich, a second-term Democrat, is accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling Obama's open seat for cash or a lucrative job for himself or his wife. The federal complaint says that in a wiretapped conversation on Oct. 31, Blagojevich described an approach "by an associate of Senate Candidate 5."

The governor was quoted as saying the person made a "pay to play" proposal, a term for a payment in exchange for a political favor. "That, you know, he'd raise me 500 grand" for future political campaigns, the governor said in the wiretapped conversation.

Blagojevich went on to say, "An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made" Jackson a senator. The complaint did not specify whether the $500,000 and $1 million would have been raised by the same person.

Jackson said Wednesday: "I did not initiate nor authorize anyone, at any time, to promise anything to Gov. Blagojevich on my behalf. I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer or to propose a deal about the U.S. Senate seat."

He said he would fully cooperate with the investigation.

Jackson's Chicago-based lawyer, James D. Montgomery Sr., said, "Politicians and fundraisers do some very strange things from time to time. I wouldn't put it past someone to be purporting to represent Jesse without authority."

Jackson said he met with Blagojevich on Monday in Chicago for 90 minutes to discuss the Senate vacancy. It was their first meeting in about four years, he said.

"I presented my record, my qualifications and my vision," Jackson said. "Despite what he may have been looking for, that's all I had to offer."

The federal complaint cites an intercepted Blagojevich conversation on Dec. 4. In it, the complaint alleges, the governor told an unidentified adviser "that he was giving Senate Candidate 5 greater consideration for the Senate seat because, among other reasons, if Rod Blagojevich ran for re-election, Senate Candidate 5 would 'raise money' for him."

It alleges that Blagojevich said he might get some money "up front, maybe" from the Senate hopeful "to insure Senate Candidate 5 kept his promise about raising money" for the governor.

On Wednesday, Jackson called on Blagojevich to resign and said he was appalled "by the pay-to-play schemes hatched at the highest levels of Illinois state government."

___

Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Chicago contributed to this report.


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[samanthajane13]

Arrest of Ill. governor puts spotlight on his wife
By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer Don Babwin, Associated Press Writer – Wed Dec 10, 6:22 pm ET



CHICAGO – Gov. Rod Blagojevich has some close company in his misery. His arrest this week on corruption charges also shone a spotlight on Patti Blagojevich, his wife and a mother of two. The first lady may have been introduced to the public by profanity-laced tirades as outlined by federal prosecutors, but she already was being investigated for her real-estate dealings.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday laid out their allegations of a brazen money grab by Blagojevich, saying he plotted to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. And in the 78-page criminal complaint against him, his 43-year-old wife emerged as a woman who schemed to cash in on her husband's job and punish those who got in her way.

She has not been charged with any wrongdoing, and she has not spoken publicly since her husband's arrest. Nor did she appear in court with him Tuesday, and she did not return a message left Wednesday with Blagojevich's administration.

However, according to the complaint, she was the voice in the background spewing an ugly suggestion to "just fire" some newspaper editors if the Tribune Co. hoped for state assistance to sell Wrigley Field, the storied home of the Chicago Cubs.

"Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive)," she says as her husband is talking on the telephone. "(Expletive) them."

There she was in full support, according to the complaint, of her husband's suggestion that the price of the governor naming a replacement for Obama's Senate seat include a six-figure seat on a corporate board.

But in Illinois, those allegations mark the latest chapter in what may be considered a quintessential Chicago story. Patti Blagojevich is both a businesswoman whose lucrative real estate deals have raised questions about whether her position as first lady helped her make a lot of money and a key player in a family drama between two powerful politicians — her husband and her father, Richard Mell.

He was a powerful Chicago alderman who held a fundraiser in the late 1980s. Hoping to drum up business for his practice, Rod Blagojevich — then a young lawyer — attended and met Patti Mell. The two married in 1990.

Two years later, Mell used his political connections to get 200 soldiers to campaign for his son-in-law. Blagojevich ended up beating a powerful incumbent to win the state representative post, setting in motion a career that would take him to Congress and in 2002 to the governor's mansion.

Patti Blagojevich appeared to be a woman who knew her priorities and would not let working at her real estate brokerage firm interfere with raising the couple's two small daughters.

"Lady Patti Blagojevich knows exactly what comes first in her life," read the headline in a glowing 2005 Chicago Tribune profile.

"What I put my focus on mostly is the girls," she told the paper. "Once you put your focus there, the rest falls into place."

But even before that story ran, Patti Blagojevich was in the middle of a public feud between her husband and her father that largely stemmed from the governor's shutting down of a landfill run by a distant relative of her mother.

Mell was incensed, saying his son-in-law was willing to "throw anyone under the bus."

He also told reporters that his daughter had "blinders on" when it came to the governor and that she would "wake up one day" to understand what her husband was really like.

There were whispers that Mell was not allowed to see the family as much as he liked, something Mell seemed to give credence to with a tearful announcement that he wanted to end his battle with Blagojevich.

"I've got a granddaughter who loves to fish, and she hasn't been up to Lake Geneva for two years like she used to come," he said.

Until Tuesday, the most recent news stories about Patti Blagojevich have been those that raised questions about her business dealings.

In 2005, for example, a published report said she received nearly $50,000 from a real estate deal three years earlier involving Antoin "Tony" Rezko. In June, Rezko was convicted of using clout with the Blagojevich administration to help launch a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme.

As for Patti Blagojevich's father, Richard Mell declined to comment for this story. On Tuesday he told reporters: "My main concern now is for my daughter and my grandchildren."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/..._governor_wife

[samanthajane13]

Obama avoids stain of Chicago's political scandals
By SHARON COHEN, AP National Writer Sharon Cohen, Ap National Writer – Wed Dec 10, 7:09 pm ET



CHICAGO – On the campaign trail, Barack Obama liked to boast that he was a tough survivor of the bare-knuckled world of Chicago politics. But the president-elect also has steered clear of most of its scandals, navigating a careful middle ground that has left him relatively unscathed in a city synonymous with corruption.

Obama's awkward link to the seamier side of Chicago politics was thrust into the spotlight Tuesday when federal prosecutors charged Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich with trying to auction off the president-elect's vacant Senate seat.

There was nothing in the 76-page FBI affidavit to suggest Obama had done anything wrong, and on Wednesday, he called on Blagojevich to resign. But this latest in a series of Illinois political scandals also raised questions about whether it's possible to avoid completely the taint of patronage and payoffs that are so common here.

Obama has managed to remain mostly — but not entirely — untarnished by local political corruption. Some analysts and former legislative colleagues cite various reasons: his skill, brains and character, his reform-minded base and his path to power, which did not involve climbing through the ranks of the Chicago Democratic Machine.

"Rather than being above the fray, I think he has sidestepped the fray," said Don Rose, a longtime political strategist. "It's a tightrope-walking skill."

During the presidential race, Sen. John McCain tried to link Obama to the city's tawdry history. In a commercial, he said Obama was "born of the corrupt Chicago political machine" — even though the president-elect has never been part of the ward-and-precinct politics that have defined the machine. The ad also cited Blagojevich among Obama's "friends."

In Chicago politics, the traditional route to political success has gone through the office of a ward committeeman, whose clout makes or breaks careers. But when Obama first ran, he was a lone wolf — a Harvard-educated, former community organizer beholden to no one. He drew support with the same undramatic, commonsense stump style he showed on the presidential trail.

Throughout his political career in Illinois, Obama has racked up wins without big-name endorsements. He won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2004 without the support of many party power brokers. And he didn't get help from Mayor Richard Daley when he won his first election — his state Senate seat in 1996.

Obama had the advantage of representing the Hyde Park area, home to the University of Chicago and a long tradition of independent politicians. One of them is Obama's mentor, Abner Mikva, a former congressman and federal judge.

"The guy is a progressive and is more or less reform-minded," Rose said. "He doesn't need to be a machine guy. The fact that he chose Hyde Park to live in, the fact he chose to work in ... a law firm that had taken on City Hall shows he made his choices outside of the machine and in some cases, with opponents of the machine."

As a state lawmaker, Obama managed a careful balancing act between cigar-chomping, horse-trading machine pols on one side and high-minded idealists who were his base on the other.

He found a powerful ally in Emil Jones, the state Senate president, an old-school Chicago Democrat known for cutting deals, punishing enemies and putting family members on the state payroll. But Obama also befriended suburban and rural white lawmakers.

"He was able to do what few legislators are able to — and that's to really cut a middle ground," said Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "He was able to be cordial across the (Senate) chamber. He was able to gain respect across the chamber. For the most part, he was known as someone who was loyal to his party and would make endorsements. But he would not cross the line over into hackdom."

"He would not violate his personal integrity to muddy himself in the political waters," she added.

Some of the choices Obama made as a state lawmaker also made him less susceptible to taking a wrong turn, said Kent Redfield, a University of Illinois-Springfield political science professor and former legislative staff member. He worked with Obama on ethics and campaign-finance reform.

"He didn't want to be Senate president," he said. "He didn't want to be mayor. You can make fewer compromises and accommodations when you have those kind of goals. ... The things you're involved in are not at the center of things where there tends to be corruption or the temptation of corruption."

Redfield said he also thinks the president-elect benefited by not starting out as an alderman in the Chicago City Council, for instance, where he would be dealing with businessmen trying to woo him with contributions.

But others point out that Obama's career has not been unblemished when it comes to corruption.

State Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Republican and Obama friend, points to Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the real estate developer who provided financial support to Obama and Blagojevich. Rezko is awaiting sentencing after being convicted in June on charges of using clout with Blagojevich's administration to help launch a $7 million kickback scheme. Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing in that case.

Rezko and his family donated at least $21,457 to Obama and helped raise over $200,000 more, though not for his presidential race. He also advised Obama on the purchase of a new Chicago home and, in his wife's name, purchased a vacant lot next door when the seller wanted to dispose of both properties at the same time. Rezko then sold a slice of the property to Obama.

Obama has donated Rezko's contributions to charity and said it was a mistake to work with Rezko on buying the house.

Rezko "will continue to dog him (Obama) and Blagojevich troubles muck up Barack's image somewhat," Dillard said. "I think it's more incumbent on the president-elect now to show that he's different from our beleaguered governor and remind people that he came up through a different route than Rod."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081211/...icago_politics

[samanthajane13]

Illinois AG threatens to act soon against governor
By DEANNA BELLANDI and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writers Deanna Bellandi And Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writers – 11 mins ago



CHICAGO – Illinois' attorney general on Thursday threatened to go to the state Supreme Court to have embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared unfit to hold office if he doesn't resign soon or get impeached by the Legislature.

"I am prepared to take action," state Attorney General Lisa Madigan said on CNN.

She said the best thing would be for Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) to resign. The governor was arrested Tuesday on charges that he put President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat up for sale and he has ignored calls for his resignation.

Blagojevich was expected to return to work at his Chicago office Thursday, but there was no sign of him leaving home by midmorning. Aides did not return phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.

"The easiest way for us to move on in the state of Illinois is for Governor Blagojevich to do the right thing for the people and to resign," Madigan said. "Now, it doesn't appear that he has any inclination to do that. Maybe things will change today or tomorrow."

"I have the opportunity to go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare our governor is unable to serve and put in our lieutenant governor as acting governor," Madigan said.

Madigan said she "won't wait terribly long" but wants a signal from lawmakers if they will move quickly on impeachment proceedings.

Legislative leaders planned a special session Monday to strip Blagojevich of his power to pick a new U.S. senator, putting the decision in the hands of Illinois voters instead. Lawmakers also prepared to discuss the possibility of impeachment.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn predicted that if Blagojevich doesn't resign, it won't be long before he's either impeached or taken to the state's highest court by Madigan.

"I really think that the governor needs to resign and step aside right now and I think that will happen," Quinn told NBC's "Today" program Thursday. "If the governor doesn't act he will be impeached."

Quinn also said that if he became governor, he may opt to appoint Obama's replacement rather than wait for a special election.

He said that while he's generally in favor of letting voters choose public officials, the economic crisis makes it vital for the state to have two senators in place.

Blagojevich's lawyers have insisted he is innocent, and stressed that he still has important work to do for the state of Illinois.

Blagojevich's decision to show up for work Wednesday like it was another day at the office angered much of the state's political establishment, and Obama and U.S. Senate leaders demanded that he step down. The prospect that the second-term Democratic governor might still try to appoint someone to the Senate also loomed.

"He appears to listen to no one, and his conduct becomes more outrageous as time goes on," said Steve Brown, spokesman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The first fallout from the scandal also emerged Wednesday, with U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. denying any misconduct while confirming that he is the Senate candidate mentioned in the federal charges as someone Blagojevich thought would pay money to be appointed to the seat. Jackson, the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said he had been assured by prosecutors he was not a target of the investigation.

On Tuesday, FBI agents arrested Blagojevich at his home and took him away in handcuffs. Prosecutors released a thick document that included excerpts of wiretapped conversations in which the governor allegedly schemed to enrich himself by offering to sell Obama's Senate seat for campaign cash or a lucrative job inside or outside government.

They also alleged he pressured the Tribune Co. to fire editorial writers at the Chicago Tribune after several negative editorials about Blagojevich.

Blagojevich is charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit bribery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and 10 years, respectively.

More than 24 hours after the arrest, Obama joined other prominent Democrats in calling for Blagojevich's resignation.

"The president-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Asked whether Obama supports a special election, Gibbs said Obama believes the Illinois General Assembly should consider how to fill the Senate seat and "put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois."

Senate Democrats were more pointed in a letter to the governor: They "insist that you step down" and not name anyone to replace Obama. An appointment by a new governor would "be the most expeditious way for a new senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans," wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and the party's second-ranking leader, Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois.

They suggested the Senate might reject anyone chosen by Blagojevich. The Constitution gives the Senate authority to refuse to allow a member to be sworn in.

It was unclear what incentive the governor had to give up his office.

A resignation might make him appear guilty. The office also gives him a certain amount of clout, which can help him raise money for his defense.

Republican Sen. Christine Radogno said it's possible Blagojevich would use his resignation as a bargaining chip with prosecutors and agree to step down in exchange for leniency.

When Illinois lawmakers meet Monday, they'll consider changing state election law to fill Senate vacancies by special election, rather than leaving the decision to the governor. But holding an election could take months and give Republicans a shot at capturing a seat now in Democratic hands.

Brown, the spokesman for the House speaker, noted that any change in the law would go to the governor's desk, where Blagojevich could let it sit and still pick a senator.

"Despite our best efforts, the governor could play hide the ball. That is an inescapable reality," Brown said. "I'm hoping that's not the case."

Brown said the speaker hasn't ordered staff to begin researching impeachment but that individual legislators are doing so. The speaker's office also compiled a memo earlier this year on arguments for impeaching the governor.

___

Associated Press writers Adam Goldman in Chicago and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081211/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Patti Blagojevich's family rallies to her defense



CHICAGO – The family of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's wife said her profanity-laced comments recorded by federal prosecutors don't reflect who Patti Blagojevich really is.

"That is absolutely not my sister," Deborah Mell told the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5 in an exclusive interview Wednesday. "Patti is a mother, a sister and a devoted wife. She is particularly protective of her family."

Prosecutors say the governor plotted to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat and he was arrested Tuesday. In the criminal complaint, his wife emerges in recorded phone conversations as scheming to punish those who got in her way.

According to the complaint, it was Patti Blagojevich's voice in the background spewing a suggestion to "just fire" some newspaper editors if the Tribune Co. hoped for state assistance to sell Wrigley Field, the storied home of the Chicago Cubs.

"Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive)," she says as her husband is talking on the telephone. "(Expletive) them."

Patti Blagojevich's family acknowledged the salty language contained on the recordings but said those words were uttered at a stressful time as both she and her husband were under federal scrutiny.

"I can understand it. This a pressure cooker she's living in," said Deborah Mell, who will be sworn in as a state representative next month.

Patti Blagojevich, 43, has not been charged with wrongdoing, and she has not spoken publicly since her husband's arrest.

Chicago Alderman Dick Mell said his oldest daughter is "loyal sometimes to a fault" and would "jump down (his) throat" when he argued with Rod Blagojevich at holiday gatherings.

Dick Mell helped his son-in-law in his first run for governor, but a year after his election in 2002, the alderman publicly questioned if Blagojevich fundraisers were trading political contributions for state jobs.

"At that time, I felt that I was right to say what I said. I don't know, that's ancient history," Mell said.

A breach formed between father and daughter and Mell said a conversation he had with Patti Blagojevich on Wednesday was the first time they had spoken in "quite a while."

"She said she's going through a rough time," he said. "But she said, as rough as it is, what happened two years ago when her mother died was harder."

Rich Mell, Patti's brother, said he is upset by the scrutiny of her and her children, 12-year-old Amy and 5-year-old Annie.

"There's a family involved," Rich Mell said. "It makes me angry."

Deborah Mell said she didn't know how she'd vote if a vote to impeach her brother-in-law came before the General Assembly.

"I don't know what's going to happen. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," she said. "I've thought about it briefly. That's not my focus right now."

___

Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/index


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081211/...overnor_family

[samanthajane13]

Obama confident staff clear in Ill. gov scandal
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 59 mins ago



CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama declared Thursday he was "absolutely certain" his staff members engaged in no dealmaking concerning the filling of his former Senate seat, and he announced an investigation into whether they had contacts with anyone on the subject.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday, accused of using his authority to choose Obama's replacement in the Senate to barter for campaign cash or a lucrative job inside or outside government. The governor has ignored calls for his resignation and declared his innocence. He retains the power to appoint a Senate successor to Obama.

The president-elect said he was "as appalled and disappointed as anybody" by the allegations. He said that neither he nor his transition team have been a part of the continuing federal investigation, using language that was very specific but left several questions unanswered.

"I have not been contacted by any federal officials and we have not been interviewed by them," Obama said.

He had called a news conference Thursday to introduce former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as his choice to be secretary of health and human services, and he also lobbied for congressional passage of short-term loans to rescue the U.S. auto industry.

But all but one of the four questions posed to the president-elect by reporters dealt with the scandal that has rocked Illinois politics as well as Obama's so-far widely praised preparations to move into the White House.

Obama aimed to put an end to persistent questions about whether any of his staff were involved in Blagojevich's alleged schemes. Obama said he himself never spoke to the Illinois governor about the choosing of his successor. And he addressed for the first time the issue of whether his transition staff had any contacts.

He did not offer a definitive denial, saying he wanted to "gather all the facts" about that and expected to know more in the next few days.

But he was definitive about whether his staff had any involvement in Blagojevich's attempted wheeling and dealing.

"What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat. That I'm absolutely certain of," he said. "That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."

In addressing the issue, the usually smooth-talking Obama occasionally stuttered or stumbled.

Nothing in the federal complaint suggests any wrongdoing by Obama or his staff. But the accusations against Blagojevich are an unwelcome distraction to the presidential transition, bringing fresh attention to some of the unsavory characters that have connections, however distant, to Obama and to questions of whether he can follow through on his message of change and clean government.

Obama noted that Blagojevich himself was quoted in the criminal complaint, compiled in large part from wiretaps on the governor's phones, criticizing Obama in colorful, vulgar language for being unlikely to help him.

"As is reflected in the U.S. attorney's report, we were not, I think, perceived by the governor's office as amenable to any dealmaking," Obama said. "I won't quote back some of the things that were said about me. This is a family program, I know."

Obama called again on Blagojevich to resign.

"I think the public trust has been violated," he said. "I do not think that the governor at this point can effectively serve the people of Illinois."

With lawmakers in Illinois maneuvering to quickly take the appointment responsibility out of Blagojevich's hands, Obama did not dictate a particular solution but demanded one be found.

"This Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade," he said. "Any vacancy will be filled in an appropriate way, so that whoever is sent to Washington is going to be fighting for the people of Illinois. I hope and expect that the leaders of the Legislature will take these steps to ensure that this is so."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081211/...ews_conference

[samanthajane13]

Pressure intensifies for Ill. governor to resign
By DEANNA BELLANDI and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writers Deanna Bellandi And Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writers – 28 mins ago



CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich kissed his wife, rode in his state SUV to the office and sat down at his desk Thursday in front of a bust of Lincoln and an American flag to portray "a return to normalcy." It was anything but. An extraordinary drama built through the day in Chicago as the political establishment of Illinois and the nation lined up against him.

Blagojevich's approval rating dropped to an all-time low of 8 percent, and friends and foes alike feared if they don't act swiftly to get rid of him, he might commit some kind of political mischief.

"The governor is in office, and he needs to be removed from office," Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said. "It is an urgent matter. Illinois is in crisis."

The governor showed no signs of buckling to growing demands that he quit or be removed after his arrest Tuesday on corruption charges alleging that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

While the governor was working — his spokesman would not say on exactly what — President-elect Obama told a news conference just a couple of blocks away that Blagojevich should go.

At the same time, Illinois lawmakers were organizing impeachment efforts, and the state attorney general said that if the governor were not impeached, she would seek a court order finding him unfit to serve.

Obama, speaking directly for the first time on the scandal that has distracted from his otherwise smooth transition, said he was "appalled" by the allegations.

"What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat. That I'm absolutely certain of," he said. "That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."

The governor spent the day at his wooden desk, reviewing budget issues and talking to his closest aides.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero described the governor's mood as "upbeat" and "positive" and said "there's a sense of trying to return to normalcy." He said he knew of no decision about Blagojevich's political future or what the governor might do with the Obama seat.

Blagojevich's next move was the subject of great speculation in Illinois and around the country. Some observers wondered whether he might be seeking a deal with prosecutors to use the governor's office as a bargaining chip, possibly agreeing to step down in exchange for leniency.

But there was also worry that the governor might still pick a senator.

His refusal to step down has struck some as odd given the fact that wiretaps portrayed him as bored with his job, saying he was "struggling financially" and did "not want to be governor for the next two years."

But staying in office provides a financial benefit amid the turmoil: He continues to draw a $177,000-a-year salary.

Also Thursday, the criminal complaint that outlined the charges against Blagojevich yielded new details. The Associated Press learned that Senate Candidate 4 in the complaint is Illinois Deputy Gov. Louanner Peters. The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the complaint and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In the complaint, Blagojevich said he would put the deputy governor in the Senate before he gives the seat to another candidate and "don't get anything."

The decision to launch impeachment proceedings largely rests with House Speaker Michael Madigan, who, according to several House Democrats, faces a strong desire among his members for quick action. They said voters are demanding it, and lawmakers are transmitting that message to Madigan.

A poll taken since Blagojevich's arrest shows 73 percent of those surveyed support impeachment, and 70 percent think he should resign.

Chicago-based Glengariff Group surveyed 600 Illinois residents by phone Tuesday and Wednesday, and the results showed Blagojevich's approval rating at 8 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.

Four House Democrats sent a letter to their colleagues Thursday seeking support for a motion to impeach Blagojevich. The letter asks members to indicate whether they oppose the idea or support it, or even whether they want to co-sponsor the motion.

Democratic Rep. Jack Franks, one of the governor's fiercest critics, said he hopes Madigan will soon make clear that the House will launch impeachment proceedings unless Blagojevich resigns.

"It would be music to the ear of everyone in this state," Franks said.

Franks said he has gotten "a deluge" of calls from lawmakers wanting to be part of any impeachment committee.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the daughter of the House speaker, threatened again Thursday to file a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to have Blagojevich declared unfit to hold office if he doesn't resign soon or get impeached.

"Obviously right now, in the best of all possible worlds, the governor would do what's right for the people of the state of Illinois. He would resign," said Madigan, a longtime Blagojevich foe considering a run for governor in 2010.

But "at this point he appears to be staying put," and Madigan wants a signal from lawmakers about whether they will move quickly on impeachment proceedings.

Legislative leaders planned a special session Monday to strip Blagojevich of his power to pick a new U.S. senator, putting the decision in the hands of Illinois voters instead.

The White House on Thursday said President George Bush finds Blagojevich's alleged behavior "astounding."

Quinn said the impeachment process should begin when the Legislature convenes. If lawmakers don't take action, he would support Madigan going to the Supreme Court.

Quinn strongly criticized the possibility of a special election to fill Obama's seat, saying it would take too long, leaving Illinois with just one senator in Washington for months. Quinn said he has not spoken to potential Senate appointees and doesn't have a short list of candidates.

If he becomes governor, Quinn said his "first order of business" will be appointing a senator. He did not flatly rule out choosing a Republican, saying he would pick the most qualified candidate.

___

Associated Press Writers Adam Goldman in Chicago and Christopher Wills in Springfield, Ill., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/...inois_governor

[Vanillaangel]

This has to be one of those, stupid politician tricks.
What was he thinking!?

[samanthajane13]

Did Obama team have contact with Ill. governor?
By RICHARD T. PIENCIAK, Associated Press Writer Richard T. Pienciak, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 50 mins ago




CHICAGO – Barack Obama insists he didn't have any contact with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich or anyone else who might have been scheming to sell the president-elect's U.S. Senate seat. But he has not yet given his transition staff the same clean bill of health — perhaps with good reason.

An examination of the FBI complaint against Blagojevich and the days immediately following Obama's historic election victory suggests the governor was highly interested in Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett as a potential Senate appointee, albeit with a steep price tag.

The 76-page complaint contains multiple references to "Senate Candidate 1," whose description clearly fits Jarrett, a former finance chief for Obama's earlier campaigns and incoming senior White House adviser.

In secretly recorded conversations, the Democratic governor said he'd be willing to appoint Jarrett — Obama's supposed favorite to replace him — in return for a high-paying job at a national union organization called Change to Win.

At a news conference Thursday, Obama said his office was assembling any information about possible contacts "between the transition office and the governor's office," and that he intended to release any such detail in the next few days.

"But what I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat," Obama said. "That I'm absolutely certain of."

It remained unclear whether anyone on Obama's team had been in contact with Blagojevich or his associates regarding the Senate seat.

According to the complaint, Blagojevich met Nov. 5 with an official of the Service Employees International Union-Local 1 who is believed to be Tom Balanoff, a longtime Obama supporter who spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

Blagojevich "understood" that the SEIU official was "an emissary to discuss Senate Candidate 1's interest" in the Senate seat. Though just a day after the election, media reports had already identified Jarrett as being interested in the job.

SEIU officials released a statement Thursday saying the organization had been in contact with the U.S. attorney's office and had no reason to believe the union or any union official had been involved in misconduct. The statement said the union, and specifically Balanoff, were "fully cooperating" with the probe.

During a Nov. 5 call, Blagojevich said the Senate appointment was a thing of value, something not given away "for nothing."

Two days later, Blagojevich allegedly suggested he'd be willing to "trade" the Senate seat to Jarrett in exchange for the Health and Human Services secretary's job. He repeated that desire during a separate, three-way call involved Blagojevich, Chief of Staff John Harris and someone identified only as "Advisor B," a Washington-based consultant.

Harris noted that Blagojevich also would consider being appointed to a high-paying position at Change to Win and that Balanoff, who declined numerous requests for an interview with The Associated Press, could guarantee the appointment.

In return, Obama would be expected to help Change to Win with its legislative agenda on a national level, said Harris, according to the criminal complaint.

As the FBI listened in, Harris suggested the three-way deal would give Obama "a buffer so there is no obvious quid pro quo" regarding Jarrett. And "Adviser B" said "they should leverage the President-elect's desire to have Senate Candidate 1 appointed to the Senate seat" in exchange for a big job at Change to Win.

On Nov. 10, Blagojevich, his wife, Harris, the governor's chief counsel William R. Quinlan and several Washington-based advisers conducted an extraordinary two-hour conference call.

Blagojevich conceded he probably wouldn't get the HHS job or an ambassadorship because of so much negative publicity surrounding him.

Using several expletives, Blagojevich said he was reluctant to give Obama "his senator" without anything in return; he said he'd appoint a deputy governor before giving the job to Candidate 1. He also considered appointing himself to the job to avoid impeachment.

During the next 36 hours, the governor grew angry and suggested Obama's camp was not interested in making a deal.

"They're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. (Expletive) them," Blagojevich told Harris in an intercepted call Nov. 11. The men talked about alternative candidates and perhaps starting a nonprofit organization that could possibly be funded by a wealthy Obama supporter, perhaps Warren Buffett.

Asked Thursday why the governor might have believed the Obama camp wasn't going to cooperate, Obama refused to speculate.

"I can't presume to know what was in the mind of the governor during this process," he said. "All I can do is read what was in the transcripts, like the rest of you have read it, and shake my head."

On Nov. 12, major news organizations, including the AP, quoted sources as saying Jarrett was not interested in the Senate seat. The Chicago Tribune said it had received an e-mail from Jarrett declaring, "I am not interested in the Senate seat."

But as the day wore on, Blagojevich continued to discuss the possibility of appointing "Senate Candidate 1" in a series of calls; Blagojevich would stay on as governor and ostensibly run the nonprofit.

"Adviser B" told the governor he liked the Change to Win job best because "from the President-elect's perspective, there would be fewer `fingerprints'" because the union organization was already in existence and fully funded.

During one of the calls, Blagojevich informed the union official — believed to be Balanoff — that he'd heard Obama now wanted other candidates considered. Balanoff said he would find out if "Senate Candidate 1" wanted to keep pushing for the Senate seat.

In an appearance at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on Thursday, David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, said Obama had intended from the start to have Jarrett in the White House, and that Jarrett withdrew from Senate contention once Obama made his feelings known.

"Valerie Jarrett is a longtime friend, adviser, very able person, and his preference was always that she serve in the White House, and ultimately he expressed that to her," The New York Times quoted Axelrod as saying. "That's why she made the decision. No one in their wildest imagination could have imagined the situation that ensued."

The discussion during a Nov. 13 call between the governor and "Adviser A" made it clear Blagojevich wanted a deal from Obama whether his pick was Jarrett or someone else, according to the complaint. And in subsequent recorded conversations, the governor indeed moved on to other possible candidates, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

On Nov. 15, Obama announced the appointment of Jarrett as one of his key advisers. And yet nine days later, Blagojevich may not have given up on the idea that Jarrett was still his way to cash in: According to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., he spoke to the governor about Jarrett on Nov. 24.

"The governor asked me, `What about Valerie Jarrett? Do you think she's serious?'" Durbin said, an apparent reference to her withdrawal from consideration.

"I said, `Yes, I talked to her. She said she doesn't want this. She's going to stick with Obama,'" Durbin said.

___

Associated Press writer Dennis Conrad in Washington contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/...vernor_jarrett

[samanthajane13]

Jackson Jr. denies he was involved in scheme
By ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer Adam Goldman, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 37 mins ago



CHICAGO – Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. flatly denies that he and his brother were involved in a scheme to get him a Senate seat in a deal with scandal-tainted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich).

The remarks in an interview with The Associated Press Friday came on the heels of a Chicago Tribune report that cited unidentified sources. The newspaper said businessmen with ties to the governor and congressmen discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to get him to appoint Jackson to the Senate. The report depicts Jackson's brother as an active participant.

The congressman said "to an absolute certainty" that his brother was not involved in any scheming or wrongdoing.

Jackson has been identified as "Senate Candidate 5" in a federal complaint. The governor is overheard saying the candidate would raise $500,000 for Blagojevich, and an emissary would raise an additional $1 million.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/...vernor_jackson

[samanthajane13]

Ill. sinks deeper into chaos over scandal
By DEANNA BELLANDI and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Deanna Bellandi And Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 33 mins ago



CHICAGO – Illinois plunged deeper into turmoil Friday over disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich as the attorney general asked the state's highest court to strip the governor of his powers, billions of dollars in bills went unpaid and lawmakers moved closer to impeaching the scandal-plagued politician.

But Blagojevich showed no sign of backing down. He took time to pray with ministers at his home and signed a bill that extends insurance coverage for autistic kids, sending a sign to his critics that he's still in charge.

In the midst of it all, the state headed toward an extraordinary constitutional showdown. Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unfit to serve, likening his corruption scandal to a debilitating illness as she ramped up pressure on the governor to resign. The move seeks to hand power over to the lieutenant governor.

"I recognize that this is an extraordinary request, but these are extraordinary circumstances," Madigan said.

It is the first time in Illinois history that such an action was taken. The attorney general is applying a rule that was intended to cover cases in which a governor is incapacitated for health reasons.

The Democrat is "unable to serve as governor due to disability and should not rightfully continue to hold that office," according to the motion. "His ability to provide effective leadership has been eliminated, and the state government is paralyzed."

The attorney general, also a Democrat, asked the court to strip the governor of his duties until possible impeachment proceedings and his criminal case run their course. If he does not step down and is not impeached or convicted, Blagojevich could go to the court and ask to be reinstated.

The scandal has also begun to impede state business, Madigan said.

Illinois has billions of dollars in unpaid bills, including payments to Medicaid patients, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and schools, and the state has approved $1.4 billion in short-term borrowing to keep cash flowing. But before the borrowing takes effect, Madigan said she has to certify that there is not any legal proceeding threatening the ability of the governor to hold his office.

In light of Friday's filing by her office, Madigan said she can't sign that.

"We will not be able to move forward on it until we have a different governor," Comptroller Dan Hynes said.

The state's inability to pay the bills has "a horrible ripple effect," the comptroller said. He said that pharmacies that count on state reimbursements could shut down, and suppliers could stop delivering food to Illinois prisons or letting state troopers buy gasoline. Businesses waiting for the state to pay its bills could lay off workers or simply go bankrupt, Hynes said.

"If our backlog gets worse, people are going to stop providing services," he said.

Blagojevich has rebuffed calls to resign after prosecutors accused him of a litany of corruption allegations, including putting President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat up for sale, strong-arming the owners of the Chicago Cubs and threatening to withhold millions of dollars from a children's hospital.

Blagojevich began the day praying with several ministers in his home before heading to his office, telling them he is innocent and will be vindicated "when you hear each chapter completely written," according to one of the pastors.

The Rev. Ira Acree said Blagojevich would not discuss details of the allegations against him. He said the governor discussed trying to get a legal and political consultation team in place, but feels as if everything is closing in on him and that he's not getting "any space or chance to sort anything out."

"I look at it like this: Everybody that's hurting needs hope, and the family needs hope, and that's what our jobs are as pastors," said the Rev. Steve Jones, one of the pastors. "Nobody should be left hopeless. Nobody, no matter what the circumstances."

Within a few hours after arriving at work, Blagojevich took his first official action as governor since the scandal broke, signing the autistic health care bill.

"Families of children with autism have a right to access the treatment their children need and today that has finally become a reality in Illinois," the governor said. "I have continued to fight for this cause, and I am pleased to sign this bill into law today."

Spokesman Lucio Guerrero said the governor has concerned himself with bills that are time sensitive, like Friday's autism measure.

"He wants to show that he's still the governor and still has the authority and responsibility to sign into law important pieces of legislation," Guerrero said.

Blagojevich's attorney said the governor also stopped at the federal courthouse for several minutes Friday to complete pretrial paperwork that is required of all defendants. As he left his office, Blagojevich refused to answer questions from reporters, saying only, "I'll have a lot to say at the appropriate time."

The fallout over the scandal resumed Friday as John Harris, the governor's chief of staff, resigned. He was arrested with his boss on corruption charges. Harris attorney Jim Sotos said his client resigned "because it was the right thing to do, and that's all I'm going to say."

The taint of the scandal followed Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. for a third straight day. A report in the Chicago Tribune said businessmen with ties to the governor and the congressmen discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to get him to appoint Jackson to Obama's seat.

Jackson flatly denied any wrongdoing. "It is unfortunate that every appearance the governor makes and meeting he has taints everyone in attendance," Jackson said.

In Washington, people who have been briefed on the Illinois governor corruption investigation said Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is not a target of the probe.

Emanuel has refused to answer questions about whether he's the "president-elect adviser" referred to in the criminal complaint that accuses Blagojevich of putting Obama's Senate seat up for sale. The complaint does not say that Blagojevich ever spoke to the unidentified Obama adviser about the Senate seat.

Blagojevich faced a growing threat of impeachment when lawmakers gather Monday in Springfield. Because that process could take several weeks, Madigan said she felt compelled to go to the Supreme Court to deal with the Blagojevich matter in quicker fashion.

Illinois Supreme Court spokesman Joseph Tybor wouldn't comment on when the court might act on Madigan's motion, saying only that it "will be properly considered."

The decision to go to the state's highest court was not welcomed by everyone. Democratic Rep. Jack Franks said it would set "a dangerous precedent" for the court to remove a governor as proposed by Madigan, who is a likely candidate for governor in 2010.

Franks, a fierce Blagojevich critic, said that kind of decision should be left to the General Assembly.

"That's our job, and we should be doing it," he said.

Lawmakers also continued their preparations to meet Monday and consider setting up a special election to fill Obama's former Senate seat.

Republican Sen. Christine Radogno said a draft of the legislation calls for the primary and general elections to be held in conjunction with municipal elections on Feb. 24 and April 7.

___

Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills reported from Springfield, Ill.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/...inois_governor

[One2Snoop]

If he wants to save face - he really should resign!

JERK!

[susie31023]

Come on O2S, you put the most important word in small letter's, LOL...So I will fix it for you,hehe. he is being a JERK. He really should resign and have charges against him in my opinion.

[samanthajane13]

Ill. governor makes brief courthouse appearance
By DEANNA BELLANDI and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writers Deanna Bellandi And Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writers – Sat Dec 13, 6:22 am ET



CHICAGO – Gov. Rod Blagojevich finished his work week in a federal courthouse, attending to duties in his newfound role of criminal defendant as the attorney general asked the state's highest court to have the scandal-ridden governor stripped of his powers.

The trip to the courthouse capped a tumultuous week for the governor, who rebuffed calls to resign and faced the growing threat that lawmakers could launch impeachment proceedings as early as Monday. He visited a department that supervises criminal defendants and prepares reports about them to help the court on issues such as bail.

Blagojevich showed no sign of backing down from his critics, even signing a bill that extends insurance coverage for autistic kids in what represented a clear sign that he's still in charge. As he left his office Friday, Blagojevich refused to answer questions from reporters, saying only, "I'll have a lot to say at the appropriate time."

Prosecutors have accused Blagojevich of a litany of corruption allegations, including putting President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat up for sale, strong-arming the owners of the Chicago Cubs and threatening to withhold millions of dollars from a children's hospital.

As the turmoil deepened, the state hurtled toward an extraordinary constitutional showdown. Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unfit to serve, declaring that "the state government is paralyzed."

Illinois Supreme Court spokesman Joseph Tybor wouldn't comment on when the court might act on Madigan's motion, saying only that it "will be properly considered."

It was believed to be the first time in state history that such an action was taken. The attorney general is applying a rule that was intended to cover cases in which a governor is incapacitated for health reasons.

The Democrat is "unable to serve as governor due to disability and should not rightfully continue to hold that office," according to the motion. "His ability to provide effective leadership has been eliminated, and the state government is paralyzed."

The attorney general, also a Democrat, asked the court to strip the governor of his duties until possible impeachment proceedings and his criminal case run their course. If he does not step down and is not impeached or convicted, Blagojevich could go to the court and ask to be reinstated.

The scandal also began affecting state government. Illinois has billions of dollars in unpaid bills, including payments to Medicaid patients, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and schools, and the state has approved $1.4 billion in short-term borrowing to keep cash flowing. But before the borrowing takes effect, Madigan said she has to certify that there is not any legal proceeding threatening the ability of the governor to hold his office.

In light of Friday's filing by her office, Madigan said she can't sign that.

"We will not be able to move forward on it until we have a different governor," Comptroller Dan Hynes said.

The state's inability to pay the bills has "a horrible ripple effect," the comptroller said. He said that pharmacies that count on state reimbursements could shut down, and suppliers could stop delivering food to Illinois prisons or letting state troopers buy gasoline. Businesses waiting for the state to pay its bills could lay off workers or simply go bankrupt, Hynes said.

"If our backlog gets worse, people are going to stop providing services," he said.

Blagojevich began the day praying with several ministers in his home before heading to his office, telling them he is innocent and will be vindicated "when you hear each chapter completely written," according to one of the pastors.

The Rev. Ira Acree said Blagojevich would not discuss details of the allegations against him. He said the governor discussed trying to get a legal and political consultation team in place, but feels as if everything is closing in on him and that he's not getting "any space or chance to sort anything out."

Spokesman Lucio Guerrero said the governor has concerned himself with business and bills that are time sensitive, like Friday's autism measure. "He wants to show that he's still the governor and still has the authority and responsibility to sign into law important pieces of legislation," Guerrero said.

The fallout over the scandal resumed Friday as John Harris, the governor's chief of staff, resigned. He was arrested with his boss on corruption charges. Harris attorney Jim Sotos said his client resigned "because it was the right thing to do, and that's all I'm going to say."

The taint of the scandal followed Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. for a third straight day. A report in the Chicago Tribune said businessmen with ties to the governor and the congressmen discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to get him to appoint Jackson to Obama's seat.

Jackson flatly denied any wrongdoing. "It is unfortunate that every appearance the governor makes and meeting he has taints everyone in attendance," Jackson said.

In Washington, people who have been briefed on the Illinois governor corruption investigation said Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is not a target of the probe.

Emanuel has refused to answer questions about whether he's the "president-elect adviser" referred to in the criminal complaint that accuses Blagojevich of putting Obama's Senate seat up for sale. The complaint does not say that Blagojevich ever spoke to the unidentified Obama adviser about the Senate seat.

Blagojevich faced a growing threat of impeachment when lawmakers gather Monday in Springfield. Because that process could take several weeks, Madigan said she felt compelled to go to the Supreme Court to deal with the Blagojevich matter in quicker fashion.

The decision to go to the state's highest court was not welcomed by everyone. Democratic Rep. Jack Franks said it would set "a dangerous precedent" for the court to remove a governor as proposed by Madigan, who is a likely candidate for governor in 2010.

Franks, a fierce Blagojevich critic, said that kind of decision should be left to the General Assembly.

"That's our job, and we should be doing it," he said.

___

Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills reported from Springfield, Ill.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

By The Associated Press The Associated Press – 1 hr 10 mins ago

The criminal complaint alleging schemes by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to trade a U.S. Senate seat and other favors for personal gain alludes to a host of unidentified characters, none of whom is charged with any wrongdoing. Some examples:

___

Senate Candidate 1: The complaint refers to an adviser to President-elect Barack Obama whom Blagojevich thought was Obama's choice to replace him in the U.S. Senate. That description is consistent with senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Blagojevich talked about getting a Cabinet position or ambassadorship in exchange for naming this person to the post. Jarrett took herself out of the running in mid-November, one day after the complaint says Blagojevich told Chief of Staff John Harris in a phone conversation that he knew Obama wanted Candidate 1 for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation."

___

Senate Candidate 2: The complaint says Blagojevich told a spokesman on Nov. 6 to leak to a Chicago newspaper columnist that Candidate 2 is among those in the running for the Senate seat. Blagojevich said he wanted to "send a message" to Obama's team. The governor and the spokesman also discussed specific arguments for Candidate 2 to be used in the newspaper. Neither the columnist nor the possible candidate were named in the court papers. But on Nov. 7, a Chicago Sun-Times column suggested that Blagojevich could give the seat to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. The complaint said that column included "the specific language and arguments" discussed by Blagojevich and his spokesman.

___

Senate Candidate 4: According to the complaint, Blagojevich said he would put Candidate 4 in Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat instead of Candidate 1, if the governor did not get something in return. The complaint identified Senate Candidate 4 only as a "deputy governor." A person familiar with the complaint revealed that Deputy Governor Louanner Peters was Candidate 4.

___

Senate Candidate 5: The federal complaint says that in a wiretapped conversation on Oct. 31, Blagojevich described an approach "by an associate of Senate Candidate 5." The governor was quoted as saying that an associate of Candidate 5 approached him with a "pay to play" proposition, a term for a payment in exchange for a political favor. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., has been identified as Senate Candidate 5. Jackson denies initiating or authorizing anyone to promise anything Blagojevich on his behalf.

___

Fundraiser A: Identified in the document as chairman of Friends of Blagojevich, who, according to campaign finance records, is Rob Blagojevich, the governor's brother. A cooperating witness said the campaign was seeking to raise $2.5 million by the end of the year, when a tougher campaign fundraising law takes effect.

___

Deputy Governor A: The complaint against Blagojevich identifies Deputy Governor A as someone deeply involved in an alleged scheme to strong-arm the Chicago Tribune to fire critical editorial writers on the orders of the governor and his wife. The AP learned that Bob Greenlee, who resigned Dec. 10, was Deputy Governor A.

___

Governor General Counsel: The complaint says that on Nov. 10, Blagojevich, his wife and his chief of staff John Harris — who also is charged in the complaint and resigned Dec. 12 — and Governor General Counsel discussed Obama's Senate seat with several Washington-based advisers. William R. Quinlan is the governor's General Counsel.

___

Hospital Executive 1: According to a cooperating witness cited in the complaint, Blagojevich told the witness words to the effect of "I'm going to do $8 million for them. I want to get (Hospital Executive 1) for 50." The witness understood this to be a reference to a desire to obtain a $50,000 campaign contribution from Hospital Executive 1, the CEO of Children's Memorial Hospital. Patrick M. Magoon is CEO of Children's Memorial. The witness said he/she understood Blagojevich's reference to $8 million to mean his recent commitment to obtain $8 million in state funds for the hospital through some type of pediatric care reimbursement.

__

Tribune Financial Advisor: The complaint says a Tribune Financial Advisor was approached by Harris in an effort to get Chicago Tribune staffers fired. Citing unidentified sources, the Chicago Tribune reported Dec. 12 that Nils Larsen, a 38-year-old Tribune Co. executive vice president, is Tribune Financial Advisor. Tribune Co. has said no executives have done anything inappropriate. No editorial writers were fired.

___

Associated Press writers Richard T. Pienciak and Adam Goldman in Chicago and John O'Connor in Springfield, Ill., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/...nor_characters

[samanthajane13]

Disgraced Illinois governor weighs legal options
By CARLA K. JOHNSON and MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writers Carla K. Johnson And Mike Robinson, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 57 mins ago



CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich met with a renowned Chicago criminal lawyer Saturday as he weighed his legal options on how to fight a scandal that has left his career in tatters and disrupted President-elect Barack Obama's White House transition.

The Democratic governor had a four-hour meeting with Ed Genson in the lawyer's downtown office Saturday. Genson has defended newspaper baron Conrad Black, R&B singer R. Kelly and numerous public figures on corruption charges, earning a reputation as the lawyer big shots call when they get in a bind in Chicago.

Genson confirmed the two met but wouldn't discuss details of their dialogue. When asked if he would take the case, Genson said: "We'll make our mutual decision on Monday."

Blagojevich had brushed back calls for his resignation after he was charged with trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. He sought to project a business-as-usual image amid the turmoil, going to work every day and handling state business.

As the legal maneuvering intensified, some observers speculated that he might be trying to leverage the governorship to his advantage in his criminal case — just like prosecutors said he did with the Senate seat for financial gain.

"I would be saying, 'Let me see what I can get in exchange for you resigning. Don't just give it up for nothing. Let me see if I can get you a better deal,'" said Steve Cron, a defense lawyer from Santa Monica, Calif.

Others suggested his lingering refusal to resign is more rooted in his ego than anything else. The governor has been known to love being in the spotlight, whether the attention is good or bad.

"You would think he would see his life collapsing around him," said Chicago defense lawyer John Beal, who was in the courtroom with Blagojevich this week and noted how carefree he seemed. "But he was the center of attention and seemed to love it."

The scandal continued to hound Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Rahm Emanuel, Obama's choice for chief of staff. About a dozen protesters stood outside Jackson's office Saturday demanding his resignation, and Republicans called for more information from Obama about Emanuel's role in the Senate selection process.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Emanuel had conversations — captured on wiretaps — before the election with the Blagojevich administration about who would replace Obama in the Senate. The report did not suggest any dealmaking in the conversations, and Obama has strongly denied that anyone on his team committed wrongdoing.

Jackson was identified as one of the candidates Blagojevich was considering to replace Obama, and a criminal complaint said his supporters were willing to raise $1.5 million for the governor to make the appointment happen.

Blagojevich's political future remains in limbo. The Legislature could start impeachment proceedings as soon as Monday, and the Illinois Supreme Court could act on a request by Attorney General Lisa Madigan to strip him of his powers.

Madigan's staff has taken steps to rewrite lender-assurance language on a short-term borrowing plan, according to a spokeswoman for state Comptroller Dan Hynes. That would head off any problems the state has had in paying its bills over the Blagojevich scandal.

The governor has not made any public comments about his future. Spokesman Lucio Guerrero said the governor plans to sign a bill Monday that provides tax credits to filmmakers in Illinois.

Beal, the Chicago lawyer, said Blagojevich may be contemplating a deal with prosecutors or be in denial. Beal said he has seen many white-collar clients go through a defiant denial stage after they're charged with a crime.

"It often takes awhile to sink in on a gut level how much trouble they've gotten themselves into and what their options are," Beal said.

Chicago defense attorney and former assistant U.S. attorney Ron Safer said the prospect of trading a resignation in a plea deal with federal prosecutors may be far-fetched, but Blagojevich's nature seems to be a self-serving one in which he gains a personal advantage from every action he takes.

Safer sized up the prospect of a possible resignation and plea deal from his perspective as a former federal prosecutor: "If he came in and said, 'Look, I want to plead guilty. I want to cooperate. I want to accept responsibility. I'm going to resign my office,' all of those would indicate to me acceptance and would be relevant to me as a prosecutor."

___

Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills contributed to this report from Springfield.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Illinois corruption: deep roots, tough to weed out
By SHARON COHEN, AP National Writer Sharon Cohen, Ap National Writer – Sat Dec 13, 6:05 pm ET



CHICAGO – More than 25 years ago, a visiting small-town judge stashed a tape recorder in his cowboy boot and came away with shocking evidence of bribe-taking and bagmen in Chicago's courts.

Former Judge Brocton Lockwood was part of an unprecedented FBI sting operation in the Cook County courts called "Operation Greylord" that uncovered judges, lawyers and clerks taking cash, fixing cases and engaging in other brazen judicial corruption.

The case is a stark example of the corruption that has become a cottage industry in Illinois and contributed to its long history of scoundrels and scandals. Last week, there was an addition to the list: Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest on charges that he schemed to auction off President-elect Barack Obama's open Senate seat.

So when the governor was escorted by federal agents from his home in handcuffs, it seemed painfully familiar to Lockwood.

"I thought nothing has changed," the retired judge said. "I'm embarrassed for the state. I'm disappointed for the nation because this is going to divert attention from Obama's efforts to deal with bigger issues than Blagojevich. ... It just makes politics a sleazy business."

Lockwood's puzzlement was echoed by people around the nation as the Blagojevich scandal unfolded: What is it about Illinois that seems to breed political corruption, and why hasn't anyone been able to do anything about it?

Corruption and graft have become so entrenched over the decades that they've become part of the political culture, and experts cite a list of reasons why: Weak state campaign finance laws that have allowed influence peddlers to make big contributions. Lawmakers who don't always get close scrutiny. A patronage system that makes employees beholden to political bosses. And a jaded public that seems to accept chicanery as the cost of doing business.

"The rest of the country kind of grew up and got past the corrupt legislators and urban Machines," said Kent Redfield, a University of Illinois-Springfield political science professor. "The reform-good government movement never got traction in Illinois."

"In some ways, Illinois kind of reminds you of Third World countries where everyone knows to get things done you have to bribe someone every step of the way," he added.

The state's history of rogues and crooks ranges from a long-ago secretary of state who died leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars mysteriously stashed in shoeboxes in his hotel closet to a judge who took money to fix murder cases. Former governors, congressmen, aldermen, and state and city workers have all gone to prison.

"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," Chicago FBI chief Robert D. Grant said when the charges were announced against Blagojevich.

The top competitors seem to be New Jersey and Louisiana. More than 130 public officials in New Jersey have been found guilty of federal corruption in the past seven years. And Louisiana more than holds its own. A congressman once described the state this way: "Half of Louisiana is under water, and the other half is under indictment."

Louisiana also is known from its flamboyant governors, from Huey Long to Edwin Edwards, who is now sitting in prison for his involvement in a scheme to rig riverboat casino licensing.

But no state is immune.

Nationwide, more than 1,800 federal, state and local officials have been convicted of public corruption in the last two years, according to FBI statistics released this spring. The number of pending cases has jumped by 51 percent since 2003, the agency said. In the last decade or so, the governors of Louisiana, Connecticut and Rhode Island have pleaded guilty or been convicted of wrongdoing.

But in Illinois, especially in Chicago, graft has been so rampant it's become part of the folklore.

In "Boss," the unauthorized biography of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Mike Royko suggested the city change its official motto, "Urbs in Horto" or "City in a Garden" to "Ubi Est Mea?" or "Where's Mine?"

That was more than 35 years ago, but the problem still persists.

"It seems to me that corruption in Illinois is incorrigible," said Ron Safer, former head of the criminal division at the U.S. attorney's office and now in private practice. "Why does someone who has achieved the public acclaim and success that results in them attaining public office risk losing everything for money? It is impossible for me to understand."

Jay Stewart, head of the Better Government Association, believes efforts to downplay corruption are wrongheaded.

"I don't look at convictions in our state and argue there are just a few bad apples," he said. "The public believes there's a problem and it's a systemic problem. But they feel powerless and unable to change it. ... I think people view it as blood sport ... and they throw up their hands and say it's just entertainment."

There have been reforms in the state, most notably a new ethics law designed to limit the impact of money in politics. It was approved only after Obama, a former state senator, called his one-time mentor, Senate President Emil Jones, and urged its passage.

Blagojevich vetoed it, and the Senate overrode him. But in a strange twist, prosecutors say that the law may have been Blagojevich's undoing, alleging that he carried out many of his misdeeds to beat its Jan. 1 implementation.

Illinois has long been known as the "Wild West" of campaign finance, with virtually no limits on who can contribute and how much. The new law prohibits people with state contracts of $50,000 or more from contributing to the politicians who administer them, or to their opponents in an election year.

But Redfield, the political science professor, acknowledges the measure is a narrow prohibition and reflects how hard it is to make sweeping reforms.

"Instead of comprehensive changes that really change the system, the prevailing attitude in the legislature often is what's the minimum we can do to fix it," he said.

The power to make unlimited donations can be corrosive, said Scott Turow, a novelist who also was appointed by Blagojevich to a state ethics commission. "Even if you're a moderately, well-intended human being who doesn't have the scruples of a priest, if someone starts handing you $50,000,-$100,000 contributions, you can't say it's not going to have an effect," he said.

Turow also points to another possible reason corruption has flourished. With the state capital in Springfield, he said, there isn't much scrutiny by the media. "The state legislature really allowed us to operate in a state of mild secrecy," he added.

Michael Shakman, the attorney whose challenge of Chicago's patronage system nearly 40 years ago led to a decree that bans most political hiring and firing, also said the practice of reserving city payroll jobs for political appointees has contributed to corruption.

"Jobs are plunder," he said. "It makes it easy for villains to get elected and hard for the reformers to do anything about them."

Shakman also blames the lack of enforcement by anyone other than the feds. "When's the last time you heard of the state's attorney indicting an alderman?" he asked. "It's so rare as to be nonexistent. Part of the reason is political, part is resources."

As the Blagojevich case winds its way through the legal system, some experts say this will bring about reform.

But Lockwood, the retired judge, isn't so sure.

"I'm not optimistic," he said. "These things have been going on since before Capone. It hasn't changed anything before. I'm not just going to get my hopes up."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/..._of_corruption

[samanthajane13]

I just had to share this one-

[One2Snoop]

Originally Posted by susie31023

Come on O2S, you put the most important word in small letter's, LOL...So I will fix it for you,hehe. he is being a JERK. He really should resign and have charges against him in my opinion.

Yes I did, what the heck was I thinking? JERK!

Is that better? LOL!

[One2Snoop]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

I just had to share this one-

Too funny - thanks for sharing.

[susie31023]

Welll now that you mention it. I was thinking more like this.......JERK

[samanthajane13]

Illinois officials weigh options for Senate seat

CHICAGO – Two of Illinois' top politicians issued fresh calls Sunday for disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich's resignation, calling him incapacitated as lawmakers gear up for a session that could lead to his impeachment.

State Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, both likely candidates in the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, criticized the governor anew during appearances on NBC's "Meet the Press" and CBS's "Face the Nation."

Both said they want Blagojevich to resign, but that the Legislature should move to impeach if he doesn't.

They also favor a special election to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, which Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell.

Madigan has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to strip Blagojevich of his powers.

Quinn said he has seen legislation that would allow him to temporarily appoint someone to the Senate seat until a special election if Blagojevich stepped down.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/...nor_news_shows

[samanthajane13]

Ill. governor: Eager for battle, rarely victorious
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 38 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Anyone who wants a peek inside Gov. Rod Blagojevich's head should look back to last year, when the Illinois House voted on his plan for the biggest tax increase in state history.

Not a single lawmaker voted for the $7 billion tax — a stunning rebuke of the governor's leadership and legislative know-how.

His reaction to the defeat: "Today, I think, was basically an up ... I feel good about it."

Whether you call it optimism or delusion, Blagojevich has always acted as if nothing can ever go wrong for him. He paints himself as the hero and others as the villain, once even claiming he was in God's corner in a legislative battle.

That same bravado may shape his response to federal charges that he tried to sell or trade President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat and shake down businesses seeking state deals. Blagojevich has, so far, ignored calls for him to resign and has consulted an attorney known for fighting charges, not cutting deals.

Throughout his two terms as governor, the Chicago Democrat has run roughshod over those who disagree with him — accusing lawmakers of spending like drunken sailors and calling the State Board of Education a Soviet-style bureaucracy.

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, a fellow Democrat from East Moline, once emerged in a rage from Blagojevich's office, telling reporters the two nearly came to blows when Blagojevich shouted obscenities at him, balled up his fist, threatened to punish a university in Jacobs' district and threatened to ruin his career for not supporting a health care plan.

Jacobs wasn't surprised to learn that federal wiretaps caught Blagojevich openly discussing potentially illegal behavior even though the governor knew he was under investigation.

"It just suggests to me that he was a very narcissistic individual," Jacobs said. "He doesn't have enough sense to walk away. I think he thinks that he's innocent and he's going to beat this thing."

The attitude of righteousness has kept Blagojevich going through political clashes, corruption scandals, family feuds and plummeting job-approval ratings. It also has contributed to those problems, with Blagojevich rushing forward without building support for his ideas or considering other views.

"I think he liked the fight. I think he enjoyed the battle, so it was good to have an enemy," said Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross.

Blagojevich, 52, entered the governor's office in 2003 promising to shake things up.

He was the first Democrat to win the office since 1972. A young showman replacing a gray and grumpy incumbent who wound up in prison, Blagojevich promised to clean up government and end backroom deals.

He made no secret of his interest in someday becoming president.

But once in office, Blagojevich quickly began alienating people.

He sent a "cease and desist" letter to his own father-in-law, a Chicago alderman who had included the governor's name on his stationery. After other clashes — including public allegations by his father-in-law that Blagojevich had traded state appointments for campaign donations — the two men stopped speaking entirely.

Blagojevich offended many Illinoisans by refusing to move to the Executive Mansion in Springfield, choosing to live in Chicago instead. He even canceled the tradition of letting children trick-or-treat at the mansion.

Visits to the Capitol itself have been rare and usually brief. During one busy session, he used the state plane to fly to Springfield every morning and home again every night, at a total cost to taxpayers of nearly $100,000.

He has often ordered legislators to meet in special session day after day without any clear purpose, disrupting their private lives while he stayed home.

Most famously, he enjoyed a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game while legislators voted on a transportation measure he wanted badly. The measure failed.

Eventually, legislators decided to ignore the governor and pass a version of the transportation bill over his objections. Blagojevich was forced to capitulate, but he declared victory after sticking in a provision giving free public-transit rides to senior citizens.

"What I will do is essentially take what I believe to be a lemon and turn it into lemonade," Blagojevich said.

Voters gave Blagojevich a second term in 2006 despite signs that his administration was corrupt. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said he was investigating evidence of "endemic hiring fraud" and a river of news stories raised questions.

Blagojevich won partly because he's a good campaigner and partly because he raised huge amounts of money, much of it from people and groups that do business with the state. He spent $16 million, compared with $6 million for his Republican opponent, whom he portrayed as a corrupt extension of the previous GOP governor.

Blagojevich had plenty going for him when he took office.

He enjoyed a Democratic majority in the Legislature. The public was eager for change, particularly when it came to his top priorities, education and health care. He can be charming, both one-on-one and speaking to the public at large.

But Blagojevich's combative approach to the Legislature produced a long list of spectacular failures and relatively few successes.

On health care, he was able to make government insurance available to every child in Illinois who needs it. But an effort to provide access to health care for everyone was soundly rejected, despite his attempt to claim the moral high ground.

"It will be Armageddon, but we are on the side of the Lord and we will prevail," he said.

Blagojevich then tried to launch part of the program without legislative approval, angering lawmakers and triggering a long court battle.

Even before Blagojevich was arrested, his public approval had melted away, hitting just 13 percent in one recent poll.

"Rod Blagojevich had a chance to be one of the great governors in America. He had a chance to be a hero," said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. "This is truly a guy who has stuck it to himself."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/..._roughshod_rod

[samanthajane13]

Ill. House speaker launches impeachment panel
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 12 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The speaker of the Illinois House took the first step Monday toward impeaching scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich, appointing a committee to recommend whether he should be ousted after his arrest on federal corruption charges.

"We're going to proceed with all due speed, but we're going to make sure that what we do is done correctly," said Speaker Michael Madigan, who often has clashed with fellow Democrat Blagojevich.

Once the committee makes a recommendation, the full House will formally decide whether to file impeachment charges. The Senate then would rule on the charges.

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on federal fraud and bribery charges, including allegations of a scheme to profit from his power to appoint a replacement for the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

The state constitution gives lawmakers broad authority to impeach a governor for any reason they consider sufficient.

The governor, who remains defiant and returned to work Monday to sign a tax credit bill, had no immediate reaction to the impeachment committee, spokesman Lucio Guerrero said after Madigan's announcement.

"Impeachment talk's nothing new for this governor," Guerrero said. "They've been talking about it for a long time."

Indeed, Madigan said Monday his staff has been reviewing the legal possibilities for impeachment for about a year. His office produced a memo earlier this year outlining all the arguments legislative candidates could make in favor of impeachment.

Blagojevich's administration has been under a federal corruption investigation for years.

Madigan was co-chair of Blagojevich's re-election campaign but more recently has been one of the governor's harshest critics. He often has refused to meet with Blagojevich or return his phone calls.

"I've had a chance to get to know Mr. Blagojevich over six years, so I was not surprised," Madigan said Monday of the federal allegations. "In light of what we've all seen ... how can anyone be surprised?"

However, Madigan did not join the chorus of officials calling for Blagojevich's resignation or indicate whether he thinks the governor should be impeached, saying he should remain neutral because he would preside over any impeachment debate.

If Blagojevich resigned, the power to appoint a new senator would go to Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn.

Madigan's daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, has asked the state Supreme Court to remove Blagojevich from office, arguing that he is unfit to serve. Madigan said Sunday she expects word on whether the court will hear her request "probably just in a few days."

Lisa Madigan is considered one of the top Democratic candidates for governor in 2010.

Renowned Chicago criminal defense attorney Ed Genson said Monday that if he's hired by Blagojevich he would represent the governor in any potential impeachment proceedings as well as his federal corruption case. Genson told The Associated Press he would know later Monday whether Blagojevich will retain him.

Michael Madigan made his announcement as lawmakers were preparing to meet to discuss legislation that would set a special election to fill Obama's Senate seat, stripping Blagojevich of the power to appoint the post.

Blagojevich hasn't ruled out the possibility of signing such a bill, Guerrero said.

While the special election was the stated purpose of Monday's legislative gathering, the day's early focus on impeachment came as no surprise.

David Dring, spokesman for House Minority Leader Tom Cross, had said Republicans would step up pressure on Democrats to remove Blagojevich, perhaps raising the issue on the House floor if necessary.

The GOP also planned television ads pressuring Democrats to approve a special election to replace Obama.

Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna told reporters the ads would "make the point that this is the people's seat, and the people deserve a special election."

Meanwhile, Rep. Danny K. Davis said Monday he had talked to Blagojevich three times since Obama's election to express his interest in Obama's U.S. Senate seat. He said the governor never made untoward suggestions.

The governor said things like "Oh Danny, you're one of the best, you're a great guy, you do great work plus you are serious about the needs of people and you know you're on the list. You're on the list,'" said Davis, who added he would run for the seat if there were a special election.

Davis said he didn't believe he is mentioned in the federal complaint against Blagojevich, which didn't identify potential candidates by name.

___

Associated Press writers Deanna Bellandi and Don Babwin and Charles Rex Arbogast contributed to this report from Chicago.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Prospect of impeachment now looms over Blagojevich
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 23 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – An Illinois impeachment panel prepared to go to work Tuesday in its first steps toward removing disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And the embattled Democrat signaled he isn't going down without a fight.

Lawmakers Monday quickly shelved the idea of setting a special election where voters would fill the vacant Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama — the seat the governor is accused of trying to sell before his arrest last week on federal corruption charges.

But the House also voted 113-0 to create a bipartisan committee that will recommend whether Blagojevich should be impeached. The panel was set to start work Tuesday by discussing how the committee will operate and a review of the claims against the disgraced governor.

"We ought to move as quickly as possible to correct our problems and to get ourselves on a track where we can do what we're supposed to do for the people of Illinois," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat and former co-chairman of Blagojevich's re-election campaign who has become one of the governor's fiercest critics.

One major unanswered question is whether Blagojevich or his representatives will take part in the committee's work or simply ignore the proceedings. Blagojevich ignored reporters' questions as he left his Chicago home on Tuesday morning. He later arrived at his office for the fifth day since his Dec. 9 arrest.

His legal woes were expected to grow, as sentencing on Tuesday for convicted political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko was postponed indefinitely. Court-watchers say the delay will give Rezko more time to talk to prosecutors about Blagojevich or other lawmakers.

Rezko, who raised more than $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign fund, was convicted of shaking down businesses seeking state business for campaign contributions. Witnesses at his trial testified that Blagojevich was aware of some of the incidents.

Senate Democrats Monday dropped any discussion of a special election, for now leaving any decision about the Senate seat in Blagojevich's hands.

Blagojevich, who has ignored calls to resign from Obama and virtually every lawmaker in the state, defiantly signed 11 bills into law Monday — including one mentioned in the 76-page FBI complaint against him. And he hired a bulldog defense attorney, Ed Genson, with a history of taking tough cases to trial.

Meanwhile, Obama's team said an internal review showed that Obama's staff "was not involved in inappropriate discussions" with Blagojevich over the Senate seat. Obama, at a news conference in downtown Chicago, said details of the review were being withheld at the request of prosecutors so more interviews could be conducted.

Controversy has swirled around Obama and his incoming White House chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, following Blagojevich's arrest. Critics want to know whether Emanuel had spoken with aides to the governor about the seat. Obama said the results of the investigation by his incoming White House counsel would be released "in due course."

Blagojevich — arrested Dec. 9 after being under federal investigation for three years — appeared to be digging in for the legal and professional battles ahead.

"I think that the case that I've seen so far is significantly exaggerated," said Genson, his new attorney. "It's not what people think it is."

Later, Genson said Blagojevich would not step down. "He hasn't done anything wrong," his attorney said Monday night.

At the Capitol, Madigan canceled plans to consider a special election to fill Obama's seat, saying Democrats are split over the best way to fill the vacancy. The move sparked harsh criticism from Republicans.

"Why is it, when the whole world is watching, you can't change your ways at least for one day and let democracy rule?" asked Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Greenville.

Madigan said the committee's review will include the criminal charges against Blagojevich as well as a long list of other possible wrongdoing during his six years in office: abuse of power, taking action without legal authority, ignoring state laws and defying lawful requests for information from the General Assembly.

The committee may well work through the holiday season, but it's not clear how long it will take to produce a recommendation. That depends partly on whether the governor's legal team takes part by questioning witnesses and presenting evidence, which would significantly lengthen the process.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said he didn't know how Blagojevich will respond to the committee.

The state constitution gives lawmakers broad authority to impeach a governor. The House would decide whether to file charges against the governor, and the Senate would ultimately rule on them.

Madigan was careful not to call for Blagojevich's resignation or say whether he thinks the governor should be impeached. Madigan said he would preside over any impeachment debate and so should stay neutral.

Madigan's daughter, Lisa, is the Illinois attorney general and widely seen as a top Democratic candidate for governor in 2010.

Madigan often has clashed with Blagojevich and said his staff has been studying impeachment for a year. His office produced a memo this summer outlining all the arguments legislative candidates could make in favor of impeachment.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Robinson and Deanna Bellandi in Chicago and John O'Connor in Springfield contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Blagojevich attorney challenges impeachment panel

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The attorney for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) wants some lawmakers removed from the panel that will recommend whether the governor should be impeached.

Attorney Ed Genson says some committee members have made public comments indicating they've already made up their minds. He says they shouldn't be allowed to take part in the impeachment hearings.

Genson also asked the committee to postpone action until the governor and his defense can prepare more thoroughly.

Committee chairwoman Barbara Flynn Currie rejected both requests at Wednesday's bipartisan panel meeting.

Blagojevich was arrested by FBI agents last week on charges that include scheming to appoint President-elect Barack Obama's replacement based on who offered him the best political or financial deal.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081217/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Ill. high court rejects attempt to remove governor
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 16 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday denied an effort to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich, rejecting what could have been the quickest way to force the disgraced Democrat from office. The ruling came as the governor's attorney challenged the strength of the corruption case against Blagojevich before a panel of lawmakers that is considering whether to recommend impeachment.

Chicago attorney Ed Genson said the wiretaps that ensnared Blagojevich amounted to all talk and no action.

"It's just people jabbering," Genson told the House panel.

Genson attacked the impeachment proceedings on multiple fronts Wednesday, assailing the wiretaps, questioning the committee's impartiality and complaining that the panel had not given the governor enough time to mount a defense.

The committee's Democratic chairwoman, Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie of Chicago, rejected all of Genson's requests.

"We're not a court of law. We're not quite a grand jury," Currie said. "We're not bound by specific rules of evidence."

Blagojevich has been under siege since his arrest last week on charges that he tried to auction off Barack Obama's Senate seat. But he got some good news when the state's highest court refused to hear the attorney general's legal challenge to his fitness to serve.

The state Supreme Court rejected without comment a challenge filed by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, herself a top candidate for governor in 2010. It was unclear whether the court turned down the case on its merits or on procedural grounds.

The attorney general had asked the court to remove Blagojevich, arguing that his legal and political troubles prevented him from performing his duties. Madigan said the governor's problems amount to a disability, so Blagojevich should have been stripped of his authority temporarily just as if he were physically incapacitated.

Madigan said she was disappointed by the ruling, saying Blagojevich's refusal to resign has put the state in an "unsustainable situation." She urged the impeachment panel to proceed with "deliberate speed."

The court's decision renewed calls from Republicans for a special election to choose Obama's successor in the Senate.

Blagojevich had already started the day feeling upbeat, telling reporters before a morning run that he had confidence in Genson and that he was eager to defend himself.

"I can't wait to begin to tell my side of the story and to address you guys and, most importantly, the people of Illinois. That's who I'm dying to talk to."

Federal wiretaps recorded Blagojevich talking about selling or trading Obama's Senate seat, but Genson told the House committee that the words do not amount to illegal actions.

Genson said it would be improper for the committee to base any decisions on the criminal complaint that summarizes the recordings of Blagojevich.

"This proceeding, which is basing its findings on the summary of wiretaps, is unfair and quite frankly illegal. The fact of the matter is, we in this case object, and object vociferously, to the use of this."

Lawmakers insisted they can consider the criminal complaint in deciding whether there's enough evidence to justify an impeachment vote.

"We are allowed to take in hearsay in this committee. A grand jury is allowed to hear hearsay," said the panel's top Republican, Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs. "We are not convicting. We are not the trial body. That's in the Senate."

Genson told the impeachment panel that some of its members have made statements suggesting they had already made up their minds. He also said neither the law nor the constitution spell out the standard for impeachment or what evidence should be considered.

Blagojevich, who was arrested last week, denies any wrongdoing and is defying an avalanche of demands for his resignation.

The Illinois House has appointed a 21-member committee to review the possibility of impeachment. It will look at the criminal charges, along with whether the governor has abused his power by defying lawmakers and spending money with authorization.

The committee, divided 12-9 between Democrats and Republicans, will recommend whether the full House should move to impeach Blagojevich. If that happened, the state Senate would then decide whether the governor is guilty.

Genson argued that three lawmakers — Republicans Bill Black of Danville and Jil Tracy of Mount Sterling, and Democrat Jack Franks of Woodstock — should be removed. He said their opening statements indicated they won't give the governor a fair hearing.

"A number of the people who are on this committee expressed views that made it perfectly clear they've already made up their mind in this case," Genson said. "They made comments which show Rod Blagojevich can't get a fair and impartial hearing of this committee."

Currie said that the committee members would not be removed. She also defended the members' opening statements for showing "a spirit of due process and fair play."

Genson also is asking the Illinois House to appoint and pay for Blagojevich's attorneys in the impeachment matter. That normally would be Madigan's job, he said, but she cannot do it because of her challenge to the state Supreme Court.

Madigan's office said it would respond soon to Genson's request.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081217/...inois_governor


DAMN!!!! Who is Blagojevich sleeping with to get this kind of break???

[samanthajane13]

Attorney: Ill. governor won't fill Senate vacancy



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday denied an effort to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich, rejecting what could have been the quickest way to force the Democrat from office. Blagovich's lawyer, meanwhile, said the governor would not appoint someone to fill Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat, potentially answering one of the key questions surrounding the scandal.

"Harry Reid said that they're not going to accept anybody he picks," said attorney Ed Genson, referring to the Senate majority leader. "Why would he do that?"

The state court's ruling came as Genson was challenging the strength of the corruption case against Blagojevich before a panel of lawmakers considering whether to recommend impeachment.

Genson said the wiretaps that ensnared his client amounted to all talk and no action.

"It's just people jabbering," Genson told the House panel.

Genson attacked the impeachment proceedings on multiple fronts Wednesday, assailing the wiretaps, questioning the committee's impartiality and complaining that the panel had not given the governor enough time to mount a defense.

Lawmakers rejected all of Genson's complaints, saying the committee has broad power to review anything related to the governor's performance. They said Genson's courtroom-style objections won't change the panel's approach.

"He's trying to throw up enough dust ... to make people think the governor is guilty of nothing — pure as the new driven snow," committee chairwoman Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said afterward.

Blagojevich has been under siege since his arrest last week on charges that he tried to auction off Barack Obama's Senate seat. But he got some good news when the state's highest court refused to hear the attorney general's legal challenge to his fitness to serve.

The state Supreme Court rejected without comment a challenge filed by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, herself a top candidate for governor in 2010. It was unclear whether the court turned down the case on its merits or on procedural grounds.

The attorney general had asked the court to remove Blagojevich, arguing that his legal and political troubles prevented him from performing his duties. Madigan said the governor's problems amount to a disability, so Blagojevich should have been stripped of his authority temporarily just as if he were physically incapacitated.

Madigan said she was disappointed by the ruling, saying Blagojevich's refusal to resign has put the state in an "unsustainable situation."

The court's decision renewed calls from Republicans for a special election to choose Obama's successor in the Senate.

But state Senate Democrats, after initially supporting such an election, this week canceled a vote on the matter and adjourned, leaving that power with Blagojevich.

When told about Genson's comment Wednesday, Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said he hadn't heard from the governor "one way or another."

"I don't know if he's closed the door on himself appointing a senator," Guerrero said.

Blagojevich had already started the day feeling upbeat, telling reporters before a morning run that he had confidence in Genson and that he was eager to defend himself.

"I can't wait to begin to tell my side of the story and to address you guys and, most importantly, the people of Illinois. That's who I'm dying to talk to."

Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing and is defying an avalanche of demands for his resignation.

Federal wiretaps recorded Blagojevich talking about selling or trading Obama's Senate seat, but Genson told the House committee that the words do not amount to illegal actions.

He called the wiretaps "two months of somebody who obviously likes to talk a lot, but two months of nothing getting done."

"There's no evidence that anyone ever asked anybody for anything with regard to that (U.S. Senate) seat," Genson added.

Genson said it would be "frankly illegal" for the committee to base an impeachment recommendation on the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. The complaint doesn't provide full conversations and context, he said, and it can't be cross-examined like a witness.

Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, challenged Genson to have Blagojevich testify.

"If we want the facts, we should have your client here. If you want to get to the facts, let's bring him here, let's ask the questions," Franks said.

The Illinois House has appointed a 21-member committee to review the possibility of impeachment. It will look at the criminal charges, along with whether the governor has abused his power by defying lawmakers and spending money with authorization.

The committee, divided 12-9 between Democrats and Republicans, will recommend whether the full House should move to impeach Blagojevich. If that happened, the state Senate would then decide whether the governor is guilty.

Genson told the impeachment panel that some of its members have made statements suggesting they had already made up their minds. He also said neither the law nor the constitution spell out the standard for impeachment or what evidence should be considered.

Genson argued that three lawmakers — Franks and Republicans Bill Black of Danville and Jil Tracy of Mount Sterling — should be removed because their opening statements indicate they've made up their minds.

"They made comments which show Rod Blagojevich can't get a fair and impartial hearing of this committee," said Genson, who later called the atmosphere surrounding the governor's case a "witch hunt."

Currie said that the committee members would not be removed. She also defended the members' opening statements for showing "a spirit of due process and fair play."

Genson also is asking the Illinois House to appoint and pay for Blagojevich's attorneys in the impeachment matter. That normally would be Madigan's job, he said, but she cannot do it because of her challenge to the state Supreme Court.

Madigan's office said it would respond soon to Genson's request.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Suhr, Deanna Bellandi and John O'Connor contributed to this report. Bellandi reported from Chicago.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

Probe complicates move to impeach Blagojevich
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writer Christopher Wills, Associated Press Writer – 12 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois lawmakers could be forced to build their impeachment case against Gov. Rod Blagojevich on a raft of relatively small grievances, rather than the blockbuster Senate-seat-for-sale allegations, for fear of undermining federal prosecutors' criminal investigation.

Members of the state House impeachment committee said Thursday they will do nothing that would interfere with the investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. If Fitzgerald asks lawmakers not to interview certain witnesses, they will abide by that, they said.

"We do not want to get in the way of the United States attorney doing the work he does, and so whatever he says about where we can and can't go in our investigation, we are going to just simply say, `Fine, sir,'" said state Rep. Lou Lang, a suburban Chicago Democrat.

The committee would then probably emphasize some lower-profile allegations of misconduct against Blagojevich. Among them: defying the Legislature, failing to honor reporters' Freedom of Information requests, and trading state jobs and contracts for campaign contributions.

The latest complications, along with other developments, suggest it could be more difficult to dislodge Blagojevich than it appeared just a week ago. On Wednesday, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected a request to declare him unfit to serve, and Blagojevich's lawyer made it clear that the governor is not going down without a fight.

Federal prosecutors' case could be severely undermined — or at least greatly complicated — if Illinois lawmakers compel certain witnesses to testify under a grant of immunity. After the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, the convictions of Oliver North and John Poindexter were thrown out after the courts determined that the cases against them were built too much on testimony they gave to Congress under a promise of immunity.

The impeachment committee sent Fitzgerald a letter Thursday formally asking for information about people mentioned by pseudonyms in the criminal complaint, and requesting his guidance on who can be called to testify. Fitzgerald refused to comment.

Committee members said the criminal charges against Blagojevich will still play a part in the impeachment proceedings. If nothing else, lawmakers will be able to use the 77-page federal criminal complaint, which includes sworn statements from the FBI and damning excerpts from the governor's wiretapped conversations.

"I think everything's fair game," said Rep. Chapin Rose, a Republican.

Committee chairwoman Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat like the governor, noted that even before Blagojevich's arrest last week, some lawmakers were calling for his impeachment.

"We've got plenty of evidence out there of questionable activity on the part of the governor," she said.

The governor was arrested on charges that he schemed to see President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for campaign cash or a plum job for himself. He was also accused of trying to strong-arm the Chicago Tribune into firing editorial writers who criticized him, and pressuring a hospital executive for campaign donations.

Outraged lawmakers appointed a committee to investigate Blagojevich and issue a recommendation on whether he should be impeached.

Blagojevich attorney Ed Genson had no comment on what restrictions Fitzgerald should place on the committee. "They do what they got to do and I do what I've got to do, and then what happens is what we've got to do," Genson said.

Perhaps previewing his courtroom arguments, Genson on Thursday questioned the legality of the wiretaps. He warned the impeachment committee: "I think you're using evidence that was illegally obtained."

Unlike the U.S. Constitution, which allows impeachment in cases of "high crimes and misdemeanors," the Illinois Constitution does not define an impeachable offense. No Illinois governor has ever been impeached, so lawmakers have little to go on.

Genson has complained about the lack of a clear standard and suggested he might raise the issue in court if the governor is impeached.

"I don't know what the line is," he told the committee. "The line should be based on evidence, should be based on due process, should be based on confrontation."

Aside from the federal charges, lawmakers have mentioned several issues that could be part of an impeachment case:

_Longtime Blagojevich friend Ali Ata, in a plea bargain on charges of lying to the FBI, said that he handed $25,000 to a Blagojevich fundraiser and that the governor immediately brought up the subject of getting Ata a state job.

_In another guilty plea, Joseph Cari said Blagojevich tried to enlist him as a fundraiser with the possibility of getting state contracts and legal work.

• A legislative panel turned down Blagojevich's request to expand government health programs, but Blagojevich ignored the decision and went forward with the expansion.

_Blagojevich promised $1 million to a historic church destroyed by fire, but the money somehow ended up at a school run by a former felon. Blagojevich pardoned the felon to make her eligible to collect the grant.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/...inois_governor

[samanthajane13]

With scandal, Ill. goes from glory to ridicule
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press Writer Michael Tarm, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 18, 3:02 pm ET



CHICAGO – Illinois should be basking in the glory of native son Barack Obama's presidential election victory and a high-profile bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Instead, with the ignominious fall of another Illinoisan, it's become an object of national ridicule.

"We were up in the stratosphere, and then comes this one idiot — Rod Blagojevich," lamented Denise Donald, a 57-year-old resident of the South Side Chicago neighborhood the president-elect calls home.

Blagojevich, the Democratic governor, was arrested last week for allegedly trying to shop Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder, among other charges. The scandal came as Illinois — and Chicago in particular — was hoping to move its reputation beyond its associations with seedy politics and gangsters.

Just before Blagojevich was charged, GQ magazine picked Chicago as its "City of the Year" for 2008, citing Obama's election triumph and, ironically, the burgeoning influence of Chicago politicians on the national stage.

"It's like when you're well-dressed and feeling good," Donald said. "Then someone points out a stain on your clothes and you think, 'I'm still pretty — but not quite as pretty as I thought.'"

It's also hard to maintain quite the same poise when your state has suddenly become a favorite butt of late-night jokes.

Last weekend's opening skit on "Saturday Night Live" focused on Blagojevich, poking fun at his expletive-laden tirades caught on secret recordings and painting him as a Chicago tough guy (when everyone in the state knows he doesn't have a Chicago accent). In a "Weekend Update" segment, Seth Meyers noted that even other Illinois politicians thought Blagojevich should resign.

"When Illinois politicians think you're too corrupt, you're too corrupt," Meyers said. "That's like Amy Winehouse telling you to go to rehab."

Illinois lawmakers have convened a legislative panel to quickly consider impeaching Blagojevich.

Republicans have been working to capitalize on the public disgust by pressuring Democrats to allow a special election to fill Obama's Senate seat. The state's Democratic majority left town this week without taking up calls for an election.

"When you think of Illinois, for a long time it was defined by Al Capone and that sort of thing," said state Sen. Christine Radogno, a Republican from Lemont. "It seemed like we sort of moved away from that when we got some good stuff in this state like Michael Jordan. Oprah. ... And now we are back squarely focused on corruption, scandal, dysfunction. It's so unfair to the people we represent."

Some fear the taint of scandal could hurt Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

A finalist in the process, many here believed Chicago's selection by the International Olympic Committee would be a slam dunk with an internationally popular Chicagoan as U.S. president. Now, many wonder if Blagojevich erases that advantage.

Not everyone agrees the governor's alleged misdeeds should tar the entire state.

"It's on him," said Alice Bowman, working in the Bronzeville Visitor Information Center's gift shop on Chicago's South Side. "Get this man in an orange jumpsuit. But what's it got to do with Illinois or Obama?"

__

Associated Press writers Christopher Wills in Springfield, Jim Suhr in St. Louis and Adam Goldman in Chicago contributed to this report.

(This version corrects that Blagojevich has been charged but not indicted.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/...nois_black_eye


Yup-Blagojevichhas finally ACED ex-NY Governor Elliott "Romps With Hookers" Spitzer.

Elliott looks like a Saint in comparison.

[samanthajane13]

Legal fight planned over Ill. governor wiretaps
By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer Jim Suhr, Associated Press Writer – 54 mins ago



SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attorney is offering a glimpse of his client's unfolding legal strategy, saying he'll challenge the lawfulness of court-ordered wiretaps at the heart of federal corruption allegations against the Democrat. But the two-term governor may go public to defend himself first.

With Blagojevich saying he's itching to talk, perhaps as early as Friday, Chicago attorney Ed Genson continued bashing what's gotten his client in a legal bind: FBI wiretaps that prosecutors say catch Blagojevich scheming to deal President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for campaign cash or a plum job.

Genson told an Illinois House panel considering whether to impeach Blagojevich that its consideration of the recorded excerpts he cast as meaningless "jabbering" was inappropriate, if not illegal. "I think you're using evidence that was illegally obtained," he said Thursday.

After the committee recessed its hearing until next week, Genson told reporters he planned to go after the taped conversations in court at some point.

Members of the House panel pledged Thursday to do nothing that would interfere with the investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. If Fitzgerald asks lawmakers not to interview certain witnesses, the panelists will abide by that, they said.

"The fact that no one has denied that the governor has said those things (on tape) is relevant. That evidence already is on our record," said state Rep. Lou Lang, a suburban Chicago Democrat.

While hopeful that Fitzgerald lets the panel "go in some directions" with some potential witnesses in the criminal case, "if he shuts us down completely, this committee will deal with it," Lang said.

Blagojevich's first substantial public comments — other than snippets shouted to reporters camped outside his Chicago home since his arrest last week — could come as early as Friday, Genson said. The attorney didn't sound keen on the prospect.

"I'm a lawyer by trade — I don't like my clients to talk to anybody," he said.

Genson said he expected federal grand jurors to eventually indict his client, which would likely unseal many of the documents in support of the charges, perhaps marking the point where his legal attack may truly begin.

"I'm talking that within the next few months the air will clear a little bit and we'll be able to get access to all the things that we need to get access to," he said. "And I'll be able to look at those things."

The impeachment process appears certain to grind on until then, possibly into next year, with or without Fitzgerald's help. Without it, the committee probably will emphasize some lower-profile allegations of misconduct against Blagojevich: defying the Legislature, failing to honor reporters' Freedom of Information requests, and trading state jobs and contracts for campaign contributions.

On Wednesday, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected a request to declare him unfit to serve, and Genson made it clear that the governor is not going down without a fight.

Federal prosecutors' case could be undermined — or at least greatly complicated — if Illinois lawmakers compel certain witnesses to testify. Following the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, the convictions of Oliver North and John Poindexter were thrown out after the courts determined that the cases against them were built too much on testimony they gave to Congress under a promise of immunity.

The impeachment committee sent Fitzgerald a letter Thursday formally asking for information about people mentioned by pseudonyms in the criminal complaint, and requesting his guidance on who can be called to testify. Fitzgerald refused to comment.

When the panel returns Monday, its members hope to discuss any guidelines or restrictions Fitzgerald may place on them.

Committee chairwoman Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat like the governor, noted that even before Blagojevich's arrest last week, some lawmakers were calling for his impeachment.

"We've got plenty of evidence out there of questionable activity on the part of the governor," she said.

Besides the Senate-seat-for-sale allegations, the governor was accused of trying to strong-arm the Chicago Tribune into firing editorial writers who criticized him and pressuring a hospital executive for campaign donations.

Outraged lawmakers appointed a committee to investigate Blagojevich and issue a recommendation on whether he should be impeached.

Genson had no comment on what restrictions Fitzgerald should place on the committee. "They do what they got to do and I do what I've got to do, and then what happens is what we've got to do," Genson said.

Unlike the U.S. Constitution, which allows impeachment in cases of "high crimes and misdemeanors," the Illinois Constitution does not define an impeachable offense. No Illinois governor has ever been impeached, so lawmakers have little to go on.

Genson has complained about the lack of a clear standard and suggested he might raise the issue in court if the governor is impeached.

"I don't know what the line is," he told the committee. "The line should be based on evidence, should be based on due process, should be based on confrontation."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/...inois_governor