“SPRINGFIELD—In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state’s 40th chief executive on trial with the goal of removing him from office.

The vote by the House was 114-1 and marks the first time in the state’s 190-year history that a governor has been impeached, despite Illinois’ longstanding reputation for political corruption.

Rep. Milt Patterson (D-Chicago) was the lone vote against impeaching the governor. Patterson, from Chicago’s Southwest Side, said after the roll call that he didn’t feel it was his job to vote to impeach the governor. He declined comment on whether he approved of the job Blagojevich is doing.

A Blagojevich spokesman said the governor will not resign. A 2 p.m. news conference with the governor is scheduled for the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.

The actions of the House–approving an article of impeachment maintaining Blagojevich had committed abuses of power–represents the equivalent of an indictment.

The impeachment resolution covering Blagojevich’s actions “show a public servant who has betrayed his oath of office, who has betrayed the public trust, who is not fit to govern the state of Illinois,” said Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, the Chicago Democrat who headed a special panel that recommended Blagojevich’s impeachment a day earlier.

Next week, when the Senate convenes, it will begin the process of setting up a trial of the governor in which each of the 59 state senators act as judge and jurors.

A total of 40 senators are needed to convict Blagojevich which would remove the governor from office and make Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn the state’s new chief executive. A trial is expected to take at least three weeks.”

But it will be a foregone conclusion. Meanwhile it’s become known that Burris had let the Governor know that he really wanted the Senate job and that “oh by the way, he got it”.

Of course this means that political theater will be happening for now and right through the KING’S coronation ceremony later this month, and the foreseeable future beyond. Just as Bill Clinton had the sins of Arkansas follow him to Washington, it looks like the same thing will be true for Obama.

Technorati Tags: Rod Blagojevich, Roland Burris, Impeachment

“(CNN) — Anyone who doubts Roland Burris’ qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.

Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.

Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.
Click to view previous image.

There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments.

Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words “Trail Blazer,” Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state’s first African-American attorney general and the state’s first African-American comptroller.

The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.

There appears to be enough room to add “U.S. senator” to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington.”

Well that will remain to be see, but one thing is for sure, he’s got the “Ain’t I something?” to be a US Senator. I wonder if Chuck Schumer isn’t taking notes.

Technorati Tags: Roland Burris, Rod Blagojevich

“Sources tell me that the Obama team’s review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will show that Rahm Emanuel had only one phone conversation with Blagojevich.

The contact, described as a “pro-forma” courtesy call, came as Emanuel was named Chief of Staff for Obama. Most of the discussion concerned Emanuel’s Congressional seat (which had previously been held by Blagojevich), with only a “passing reference” to the Senate vacancy, according to these sources. No deal for the Senate vacancy was discussed.”

I think we can skip the veracity of any “report” from the team in the equasion. The FBI has 21 contacts on wiretaps. Guess which version counts.

Ed at Hot Air notes:

“Obama and Emanuel still have a problem even accepting the circumstances as leaked to ABC. That question from John Harris to Rahm Emanuel may not be explicit enough to qualify legally as an offer to bribe, but it clearly shows that Harris wanted a better deal than gratitude for the Senate seat. After making that clear to Emanuel, did Emanuel tell Obama what was going on in Illinois? And more to the point, did he pick up the phone and inform the FBI and/or Patrick Fitzgerald?

If he did, then he and Team Obama should be commended. If he didn’t — if he knowingly ignored the fact that Blagojevich had put up the Senate seat for sale and put out a bid request for it — then Obama and his team are off to a disastrous start, ethically speaking. It may not be illegal to fail to report such an obvious attempt to sell the seat, but it would show a monumental gap between the campaign rhetoric of Barack Obama and the reality of how he governs. Obama would have to jettison Emanuel under those circumstances or face questions for the next four years about how his team operates.”

Technorati Tags: Rahm Emanuel, Rod Blagojevich

Blago’s not doing himself any good by coming out swinging and should be exercising his miranda rights here. The indictment against him is pretty detailed so what he hopes to gain – except to stay employed through the holidays – is anyone’s guess.

Then again he could just be positioning himself for a plea deal.

“CHICAGO–President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had a deeper involvement in pressing for a U.S. Senate seat appointment than previously reported, the Sun-Times has learned. Emanuel had direct discussions about the seat with Gov. Blagojevich, who is is accused of trying to auction it to the highest bidder.

Emanuel talked with the governor in the days following the Nov. 4 election and pressed early on for the appointment of Valerie Jarrett to the post, sources with knowledge of the conversations told the Sun-Times. There was no indication from sources that Emanuel brokered a deal, however.

A source with the Obama camp strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, saying Emanuel only spoke with Blagojevich once recently to say he was taking the chief of staff post.

But sources with knowledge of the investigation said Blagojevich told his aides about the calls with Emanuel and sometimes gave them directions afterward. Sources said that early on, Emanuel pushed for the appointment of Jarrett to the governor and his staff and asked that it be done by a certain date.”

I told you here that a source with knowledge of the content of tapes told me that they are “extremely damaging” to Emanel and do go farther than he or his boss Barack Obama had previously admitted to.

The question is just how long before the full content of the tapes is made pubic and Emanuel takes a “leave of absence” to “spend more time with the family”.

“SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (CNN) — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — who was cited in a criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich — has been an informant for at least a decade with the U.S. Attorney’s office, and has informed on the embattled governor of Illinois, though not in the case currently under investigation, Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds told CNN Tuesday.

In addition, two sources close to Jackson told CNN that, in 2002, Blagojevich — then running for governor of Illinois — solicited a $25,000 campaign donation from Jackson, which he did not get.

At the time, Jackson’s wife, Sandi, was a candidate for the job of director of the state’s Lottery Commission, a post she did not win, the sources said.

After Blagojevich took office, in early 2003, he told Jackson something to the effect of, “You see what $25,000 would have done?” the sources said.

In 2006, Jackson reported the incident, which he believed to have been an attempt at a shakedown, the sources said.

The report, the sources said, came three three years later because Jackson’s memory was jogged by another case — that of developer Tony Rezko, whose fraud and corruption trial included testimony about $25,000 donations to Blagojevich.”

The media makes the arraignment look so “innocent”, but ordinarily one only becomes an informant when they have 1) Decide to do the right thing by choice, or 2) Are forced to do the right thing because they’ve been caught doing the wrong thing.

So Blago, Jessie, Jessie, Blago, Rezko, Blago, Rezko, Obama.

Yeah, nothing to make the circle complete at this point, but then we’re only two weeks into the scandal. I wonder what else Jackson Jr. is talking to the feds about?

“Ace of Spades and No Quarter report that it is very likely that Michelle Obama is the “Specifically Named Individual” on page 64 of the Criminal Complaint against Governor Rod Blagojevich.

From the indictment:

ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherf***er [the President-elect] his senator. F**k him. For nothing? F**k him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give f**king [Senate Candidate 1] a f**king Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois).

ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the “financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards.”

I will admit this is a possibility, but I’d have to see a bit more to be convinced. However here is an interesting point. If Blagojevich was all that hacked off at Obama before, he’s got to be livid now. Which giving the supposed history (or innuendo) connecting the two with Tony Rezko – who is squawking his head off to the feds – this could be a bad New Year for Mr. Obama.