Logo

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.

Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) votes to recommend the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich

The governor's office issued a statement calling the panel's proceedings flawed and biased.

The full House could vote as early as Friday morning. A vote for impeachment would trigger a Senate trial to decide whether the second-term Democrat should be removed from office.

Many on the 21-member special committee called it a sad day for Illinois, but Rep. Bill Black disagreed.

"I think this is a good, glad, happy day for Illinois because it points out that nobody is above the law," said Black, a Republican. "There have been egregious abuses if half of what we read is true."

Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing and his office's statement called the panel's vote a "foregone conclusion" resulting from proceedings where his team was "never given the chance to put on any kind of defense."

The statement also assumes the full House will vote to impeach.

"When the case moves to the Senate, an actual judge will preside over the hearings, and the Governor believes the outcome will be much different," it reads.

Spokesman Lucio Guerrero said earlier there was no chance Blagojevich would resign before the full House decision. Blagojevich's attorneys left the hearing before the committee voted.

The committee's report said that the citizens of Illinois "must have confidence that their governor will faithfully serve the people and put their interests before his own. It is with profound regret that the committee finds that our current governor has not done so."

Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on federal charges that include allegations he schemed to profit from his power to name President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate.

He later appointed Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat, and Burris testified Thursday that he did not make a deal with the governor to win the plum position.

"There was nothing .... legal, personal, or political exchanged for my appointment to this seat," Burris testified under oath.

While the governor maintains his innocence, the report notes he did not appear before the committee to explain himself. "The committee is entitled to balance his complete silence against sworn testimony from a federal agent," it says.

The committee's report recounts the federal charges, relying on a sworn affidavit from an FBI agent describing tape-recorded conversations in which Blagojevich discussed using the seat to land a job for himself or his wife. The governor also is quoted on the need to hide any evidence of a trade-off.

"The committee believes that this information is sufficiently credible to demonstrate an abuse of office of the highest magnitude," the report says.

It also lays out allegations separate from the criminal charges — that Blagojevich expanded a health care program without proper authority, that he circumvented hiring laws to give jobs to political allies, that he spent millions of dollars on foreign flu vaccine that he knew wasn't needed and couldn't be brought into the country.

The committee finished its work as chances grew dimmer that lawmakers would get transcripts of Blagojevich's secretly recorded conversations.

Court hearings on the release of the transcripts could run into early February, U.S. District Chief Judge James F. Holderman said Thursday.

Meanwhile, Blagojevich's defense attorneys urged Holderman to throw U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald and all of his assistants off the case, charging in a motion that Fitzgerald violated rules about pretrial publicity at a Dec. 9 news conference announcing the charges.

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's choice of a veteran black politician to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat could be a shrewd move, potentially helping win over black lawmakers eyeballing his impeachment and perhaps even jurors in his corruption case. But is the appointment enough to save the embattled two-term Democrat in the face of nearly universal opposition?

AP – Former Ill. Attorney General Roland Burris, right, takes questions after Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich

"There's no empathy for him because he's done a good thing," said state Sen. Donne Trotter, a black Democrat from Chicago who would vote whether to convict Blagojevich if the Illinois House impeached him.

Blagojevich's surprising appointment of Roland Burris was officially rejected by Secretary of State Jesse White as expected Wednesday. Burris responded by filing paperwork asking the Illinois Supreme Court to force White to certify his appointment.

Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, asked a judge for another three months to indict Blagojevich, saying they have "thousands" of intercepted phone calls and "multiple" people to assess. A 90-day extension would give prosecutors until April 7.

Burris said he planned to show up in Washington when new members are sworn in Tuesday and ask to be seated as the Senate's lone African-American. He said he would not cause a scene if he's turned away, as Democratic leaders have promised to do.

"That is not my style. I am not seeking to be confrontational," the former Illinois attorney general and comptroller said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I'm not in any way seeking to play the race card in this situation," he said. "Under no circumstances."

But in a round of interviews on morning news shows and cable networks, Burris didn't exactly shy away from the race issue. He would not speculate on whether Blagojevich was currying favor with blacks by naming an African-American to replace Obama, and he didn't think the seat necessarily had to be filled by another black lawmaker.

"It is a fact, there are no African-Americans in the United States Senate," he said on NBC's "Today." "Is it racism that is taking place? That's a question that someone may raise."

In Washington, Senate Democratic officials spent New Year's Eve reviewing procedures that haven't been used in decades in anticipation of Burris' arrival on Tuesday. They also were searching for a way to defuse the dispute, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Generally, they expected to make a motion to refer Burris' credentials to the Rules Committee for a review, then to deny Burris floor privileges until the investigation is completed.

That could take months, by which time Blagojevich may no longer be governor, these officials said. Burris would not be granted a paycheck or office space in the meantime, the officials said.

On Wednesday, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus did not return calls seeking comment.

Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on charges that he tried to sell Obama's seat for money or a high-paying job and other allegations.

Long before his Dec. 9 arrest, Blagojevich had made a habit of courting the black community, both with broad policies and small gestures.

His closest ally in Springfield was Emil Jones, the powerful black leader of the Illinois Senate. The governor fought hard to improve education and health care, two issues at the top of the agenda for many black voters.

He also handed out grants to black institutions, such as the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church when it burned. And he publicly turned to black ministers during times of trouble and refused to dump a high-ranking Nation of Islam official from a state anti-discrimination panel.

State Sen. Kwame Raoul, who is black, said Burris' appointment would not sway people's opinions of Blagojevich.

"We're just not cheap," Raoul said.

But Nidia Gaona, a University of Illinois senior and employee at a public library in Champaign, said Blagojevich was clearly trying to court blacks again with the Burris appointment.

"That's his main purpose — to appoint a black man to this seat to change people's minds about him," said Gaona, a Chicago native and registered Democrat. "It's just a shame to know that."

She doesn't think it will work, and believes Blagojevich — whom she didn't vote for in 2006 — should resign.

So does Crystal Pittman of the Chicago suburb of Matteson, although the 35-year-old telecommunications company employee predicted Blagojevich would pick up support because of the Burris pick.

"What is politics? You play your best hand, and I think Blagojevich is playing his best hand," Pittman said.

Still, Burris' appointment has gotten a cold reception. Politicians from Illinois to Washington say nobody appointed by the disgraced governor should be allowed to take the Senate seat.

Four days after Blagojevich was arrested, even Burris called the charges "appalling" and "reprehensible." He applauded an effort by the attorney general to have the courts remove Blagojevich, saying the governor could no longer do his job.

Burris said Wednesday that he stands by those statements. But he also said that Blagojevich can continue performing his duties, such as appointing a new senator, and he refused to take a position on whether the governor should resign.

Burris said friends — he would not identify them — are studying his legal options. He insisted that being named to the Senate by Blagojevich does not mean he is tainted by the governor's scandal.

"I am not associated with him. The governor made an appointment of me to be the senator," Burris said. "He's carrying out his constitutional and statutory duties. That is not being 'associated' with him."

A Chicago Tribune poll in October, before Blagojevich was arrested, showed his support among black voters slipping — from 70 percent to 32 percent. The impact of the appointment on blacks who might wind up sitting on a jury is probably nil, said Daniel Coyne, a law professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Blagojevich's predecessor, former GOP Gov. George Ryan, cleared death row before he left office in 2003, but still ended up in prison after he was convicted in a federal corruption trial.

"Any time you start trying to do things in a way that you think would make a jury more favorable to you down the road, it really is nothing but speculation," Coyne said.

CHICAGO – A defiant Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday named a black political trailblazer to Barack Obama's Senate seat, a surprise move that put the governor's opponents in the uncomfortable position of trying to block his choice from becoming the Senate's only black member. Blagojevich's appointment of former state Attorney General Roland Burris injected race into the drama surrounding the embattled governor, who repeatedly sought to distance his selection from charges that he tried to sell the seat to the highest bidder.

AP Photo/Paul Beaty

"Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint a good and honest man," the governor said, turning to the smiling 71-year-old standing by his side.

"This is about Roland Burris as a U.S. senator, not about the governor who made the appointment."

Burris was the first African-American elected to major statewide office in Illinois, serving as comptroller and running for governor three times — the last time losing to Blagojevich.

He said he has no connection to the charges against Blagojevich, who was arrested earlier this month.

Even before the announcement, which was leaked several hours before, the governor's move ran into opposition.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who must certify the appointment, said Tuesday he will not do so. And Senate leaders reiterated that they would not accept anyone appointed by Blagojevich.

In a statement Tuesday, Senate Democrats maintained that Blagojevich should not make the appointment because doing so would be unfair to Burris and to the people of Illinois.

"It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety," the statement said.

"Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic caucus."

Obama struck the same tone.

"Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision," the president-elect said in a statement.

Senate leaders, who were scattered for the holidays, immediately convened a conference call. Some involved in the call were wary of being seen as denying a black man a seat in a chamber where, with Obama's departure, there are no blacks, according to two officials knowledgeable about the talks who requested anonymity in order to speak freely.

"We say this without prejudice toward Roland Burris' ability, and we respect his years of public service," the leaders wrote. But the issue is not about Burris, they said. "It is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat."

Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat who was invited to speak at Blagojevich's news conference, urged Senate leaders not to block Burris. In fact, he almost dared them to try to stop Burris' appointment.

"There is no rhyme or reason why he should not be seated in the U.S. Senate," Rush said. "I don't think any U.S. senator ... wants to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the U.S. Senate."

He told reporters that Senate Democrats should not "hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer."

Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 after federal prosecutors allegedly recorded conversations in which he discussed appointing someone Obama favored in exchange for a position in the new president's Cabinet or naming someone favored by a union if he got a high-level union job.

The governor has faced a flood of calls for his resignation, and the Illinois House has begun impeachment proceedings. He maintains his innocence, and has vowed to stay in office.

Blagojevich's own lawyer said recently that there would be no point in the governor naming someone to the Senate because leaders there would reject his appointment.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said Blagojevich's decision to appoint Burris is an "insult to the people of Illinois."

"We believe in clean government, and Rod Blagojevich has unclean hands," Quinn said.

Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross compared Blagojevich to "a rabid dog in a corner who's just going to lash out."

Democratic state Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago, a member of the impeachment committee, said Burris' appointment will have no bearing on its decision.

"Anybody that wants to put the race card in there, they're playing with the wrong group of people. We're not going to operate that way, we're not going to deliberate that way, we're not going to say, 'Oh, look what a good thing he's done.' We're not going to do it," Davis said.

Illinois law gives the governor sole power to fill a Senate vacancy. Lawmakers considered stripping Blagojevich of that power after his arrest but could not agree on legislation — a fact the governor, who had said he would support a bill calling for a special election, pointed out Tuesday.

He reportedly offered the seat to at least one other person.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis told The Associated Press Tuesday that he met with an emissary of the governor twice last week. After thinking the proposal over, Davis said he turned the seat down on Sunday.

"I thought the environment had been poisoned," said Davis, who is black. "The environment was just a bit too murky, and it was not the kind of environment I would want to go into the Senate with."

Burris served as Illinois' comptroller from 1979 to 1991 and as the state's attorney general from 1991 to 1995. He also served as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1985 to 1989.

More recently, however, Burris has had a string of political disappointments.

He lost campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1994, 1998 and 2002 — the last time losing to Blagojevich. In 1995, he was badly beaten when challenging Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Burris has been a consistent donor to Blagojevich in recent years.

He donated $1,000 to the Friends of Blagojevich fund in both 2004 and 2005, $1,500 in 2007 and $1,000 in June 2008, according to Illinois campaign finance data.