December 31, 2008: An excerpt from an editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Another bad choice by ethically bankrupt gov
The people of Illinois didn’t need another reason to throw Gov. Blagojevich out of office.
They had plenty already.
But on Tuesday, the governor gave the state one more excellent reason, this time by going back on his word and appointing a replacement to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
By doing so, Blagojevich stole from the voters the chance to select their own senator through a special election.
And whom did the governor choose? Just another Illinois politician, Roland Burris, the former attorney general whose political career is notable only for its lack of notable achievements.
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December 31, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago Tribune:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich picks former attorney general to replace Obama
Roland Burris was state’s 1st African-American comptroller
By RICK PEARSON and RAY LONG
In a display of political bravado, disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday appointed former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, challenging national Democratic leaders to reject the appointment of an African-American to the seat that propelled Barack Obama to the White House.
The defiant move tests the resolve of Senate Democrats who said they would not admit anyone appointed by Blagojevich, who is facing impeachment after being accused of trying to sell the Senate seat for personal gain. And it reveals to a nation celebrating Obama’s victory the underbelly of Chicago’s race-based political scene.
Obama supported the announcement by Senate Democrats that Blagojevich’s appointment “will ultimately not stand,” but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada now faces a difficult political situation amid uncertainties that an attempt to block Burris from taking office can withstand a legal challenge. Burris, Illinois’ first statewide elected African-American, wants entry into a chamber that no longer has any blacks.
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December 16, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Governor’s irritated neighbors: ‘He’s never gone to the office this much’
By MAUREEN O’DONNELL
It’s Day 7 of the beehive on Gov. Blagojevich’s block, and some of his neighbors are as happy with the media as they are with the besieged pol.
In other words, not so much.
The hovering helicopters were gone Monday, but satellite trucks and reporters doing stand-ups remained.
“The feeling is, ‘What’s happened to our nice, quiet neighborhood?’ ” said filmmaker Mary-Terese Cozzola.
“We’ve had trucks here at three in the morning. Everybody’s running on the lawns,” said a woman in a home across the street. She declined to give her name, but added acerbically, “He’s [Blagojevich] never gone to the office this much.”
First lady Patti Blagojevich tried to ease some ruffled feathers Monday. She sent notes to Ravenswood Manor neighbors apologizing for the “media barrage.”
Her dad, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), sent an e-mail to ward residents saying, “These are indeed trying times for the Mell family, but with good friends like you, we’ll weather this storm, as well.”
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December 11, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago paper, RedEye:
State of confusion
Obama, Jackson Jr. speak out as G-Rod saga thrusts Illinois into spotlight
Illinois — or, as Stephen Colbert called it on his show, the “Land of Stinkin’ ” — woke up Wednesday to find itself the talk of the country, if not the laughingstock of the country.
It wasn’t too long ago that Chicago was the envy of the world, as millions tuned in to watch the celebration unfold after Barack Obama won the presidency.
Tuesday’s arrest of Gov. Blagojevich at his Northwest Side home turned the tables. Video clips rehashing the governor’s profane phone conversations — secretly recorded for the FBI — dragged the state’s ugly political tradition back into the limelight. Allegations of fraud and corruption detailed in the FBI’s criminal complaint against Blagojevich also raised questions about whom else his alleged actions might taint, including Obama and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
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December 10, 2008: An excerpt from an editorial in the Chicago Tribune:
Governor Blagojevich, resign
The people of Illinois have known for more than a year that Gov. Rod Blagojevich is, despite his title, not capable of governing. As we said in an October 2007 editorial, he is “an intentionally divisive governor and a profoundly unhelpful influence.” He has tried to circumvent the authority of the legislature and spend money this state doesn’t have. He has been plagued — this sorry state has been plagued — by metastasizing investigations of cronyism and corruption on his watch.
And now U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago has laid out a devastating set of criminal charges against Blagojevich and his chief of staff. This complaint is astonishing, even in a state known for its culture of political sleaze, a state whose last governor is serving a richly deserved prison sentence for multiple counts of public corruption.
Prosecutors allege that Blagojevich tried to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate. He tried to barter the powers of his office. He tried to make a deal to get the corporate owner of this newspaper to remove members of the editorial board because this board has been critical of him.
Even as the probe was closing in on him, the pace of the governor’s money-making schemes sped up. Prosecutors said the governor was working “feverishly” to monetize his clout, his ability to confer favors.
Most appalling: When Barack Obama was elected president, Blagojevich saw opportunity in the vacancy created in the U.S. Senate. “I’ve got this thing and it’s [expletive] golden, and uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing,” he allegedly said.
The governor must resign immediately. If he doesn’t, the Illinois House should begin proceedings to impeach him, and to ask the Senate to try him.
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December 10, 2008: An excerpt from an editorial in the Chicago Sun Times:
Gov. Blagojevich must go — right now
If Gov. Blagojevich does not resign immediately, impeach him.
This is the inescapable conclusion that comes after reading Tuesday’s 76-page criminal complaint against the governor alleging a runaway crime spree of political corruption.
Even if the governor were found not guilty of every accusation against him — and given the apparent weight of the evidence against him, we’re not taking any bets — the criminal charges would cripple his already limited ability to lead Illinois.
The criminal complaint paints a portrait of Blagojevich that is stunning in its venality and arrogance. It taints any future decision Blagojevich could make as governor, especially his selection of the next U.S. senator from Illinois.
The federal investigation of the governor’s administration dates to 2003, but the details in the criminal complaint are as fresh as this month.
With federal agents planting listening devices at Blagojevich’s campaign office and on his home phone, the most damning evidence against the governor comes from his own mouth.
To Blagojevich’s way of thinking, the criminal complaint alleges, picking the next senator from Illinois isn’t a solemn obligation, it’s a sale — to the highest bidder.
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December 9, 2008: A story excerpt from Tuesday’s extra edition of the Chicago Tribune:
Lt. Gov.: Blagojevich should step aside
By JEFF COEN, RICK PEARSON and DAVID KIDWELL
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested Tuesday for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called a “political corruption crime spree” that included attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Blagojevich and Harris were named in a federal criminal complaint that alleged a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy aimed at providing financial benefits to the governor, his political fund and to his wife, First Lady Patricia Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was taken into federal custody by FBI agents at his North Side home Tuesday morning — one day shy of his 52nd birthday.
The arrests dealt a tumultuous blow to Illinois government, at once raising questions about the leadership of the state and the fate of the open Senate seat — which the governor alone has the power to fill under the state law.
The allegations against Blagojevich provide a sharp contrast to a Democratic governor who campaigned for office promising reforms in the wake of disgraced, scandal-tainted Republican chief executive George Ryan. The complaint against Blagojevich comes little more than two years after Ryan was sentenced to 61/2 years in prison on federal corruption charges.
Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, characterized Illinois’ place in the pantheon of political corruption.
“If it isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor,” Grant said. And Fitzgerald, whose office also prosecuted Blagojevich’s predecessor, said Blagojevich’s “conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.
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December 9, 2008: A story excerpt from Tuesday’s extra edition of the Chicago Sun-Times:
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich taken into federal custody
BY NATASHA KORECKI
Gov. Blagojevich, wearing a black and blue jogging suit, appeared before a federal judge this afternoon on corruption charges.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan set a $4,500 personal-recognizance bond for the governor, who was arrested at his North Side home this morning.
After the hearing, Blagojevich walked to Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton, shook her hand and said something to her.
Blagojevich arrived at his Northwest side home at 2:30 p.m., blocked from the media by large umbrellas and shepherded through the back ally.
Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris, who is also charged with the governor, was given similar bond by Nolan. When the two saw each other, Blagojevich shook Harris’ hand and greeted him.
The courtroom included a number of extra security, including Kim Widup, the current U.S. marshal in Chicago.
Nolan greeted Blagojevich, saying “Good afternoon, governor,” to which Blagojevich replied, “Good afternoon.” As the charges were being read, Blagojevich folded his arms in front of him.
