Obama Supporter Blagojevich (D-IL) Arrested

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Defiant Burris Says Senate Seat Is His

“Why don’t you all understand that what has been done here is legal?” he said. “I am the junior senator from Illinois, and I wish my colleagues in the press would recognize that.”

He later added, “This is all politics and theater, but I am the junior senator according to every law book in the nation.”
 
It sounds as if Fitzgerald, once again, jumped the gun. He needs more time to prosecute the Governor. So, for all intents & purposes, the appointment is, most likely, quite legal.

U.S. Chief District Court Judge James Holderman entered an order allowing the indictment deadline to be extended from Jan. 7 to April 7, according to the court docket in the Blagojevich case. Prosecutors had sought the extension last week, citing the complexity of their investigation of pay-to-play politics in the Blagojevich administration.

Hmmm, I thougth he was under indictment when they arrested him.

LA Times
 
It sounds as if Fitzgerald, once again, jumped the gun. He needs more time to prosecute the Governor. So, for all intents & purposes, the appointment is, most likely, quite legal.



Hmmm, I thougth he was under indictment when they arrested him.

LA Times
The question that even the MSM is now starting to finally ask is "Why did Fitzgerald arrest Blagojevich ahead of any actual crime having been committed?"

The most Liberal Left Coast newspaper is suspicious of what those motives might have been.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/12/obama-blagojevi.html

Obama team probe of Obama team finds no Obama team impropriety

The Barack Obama presidential transition office today finally released its own report on its own internal investigation of its own contacts with legally challenged Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And you'll be comforted to know the Obama folks found no impropriety whatsoever by Obama folks.

So go back to wrapping holiday presents or pretending you're working at your dIllinois Democrats governor Rod Blagojevich, then-senator Barack Obama and still-mayor Richard M. Daley in happier pre-criminal complaint timesesk and checking out Obama's important abs. All is well with the coming World of Change.

Speaking of tidy packages, the five-page report was not released in the morning as things are when public attention is desired.

It was released at 4:30 Eastern time to provide minimal exam time before the network news. But that's probably a coincidence. (A complete text of the memo is available on the jump, along with a news video; just click the "Read more" line below.)

...

Fitzgerald, who so helpfully asked Obama to hush up his internal report when people were most interested, is busy doing his job as the only really investigative arm perusing Illinois politics. Now that his hand was forced by the alleged impending sale of Obama's vacant Senate seat, the clock is running on an indictment of Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris.

Oh, and did we mention, four weeks from today a little before noon Eastern time, Obama becomes boss of Fitzgerald and all the other U.S. attorneys? What do you want to bet that despite the Democratic Cook County clamoring Fitzgerald stays on a while?
 
Impeached!

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached Friday by Illinois lawmakers furious that he turned state government into a "freak show," setting the stage for an unprecedented trial in the state Senate that could get him thrown out of office.


Later, a defiant Blagojevich insisted again that he committed no crime, and declared: "I'm going to fight every step of the way." He portrayed himself as a victim of political payback by the House for his efforts to extend health care and other relief to the ordinary people of Illinois.

"The causes of the impeachment are because I've done things to fight for families," the 52-year-old Democrat said at an extraordinary news conference where he surrounded himself with some of the people he claimed to have helped, including a man in a wheelchair and a transplant recipient. He took no questions.


The Senate trial is set to begin Jan. 26. While impeachment in the House required only a simple majority, or 60 votes, a two-thirds vote would be needed for conviction in the 59-member Senate.

Can’t wait 'til a pissed-off Blago starts naming names.
 
He was the majority leader when the Clinton trial took place. He suggested Slick Wille remain in office. Clinton did.
 
Top Obama Aides Subject of Blago Subpoenas

Sweeping federal subpoenas of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration include requests for records involving David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisers to President Barack Obama.

Among 43 subpoenas released by the Blagojevich administration Friday, one from Dec. 8 seeks notes, calendars, correspondence and any other data that relate to Axelrod, Jarrett and 32 other people and organizations.
 
It's unanimous: Blagojevich convicted, ousted
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was unanimously convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.
After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him of abuse of power, automatically ousting the second-term Democrat. Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, one of his critics, immediately became governor.
In a second 59-0 vote, the Senate further barred Blagojevich from ever holding public office in Illinois again.
"He failed the test of character. He is beneath the dignity of the state of Illinois. He is no longer worthy to be our governor," said Sen. Matt Murphy, a Republican from suburban Chicago.
Blagojevich's ordeal is far from over. Federal prosecutors are expected to bring a corruption indictment against him by April, after which a trial date will be set.
 
SOURCE

It Depends What Is, Is -- Part 2

Posted by Bobby Eberle
February 17, 2009 at 7:29 am

Poor Roland Burris... you know who he is, right? In contrast to the scheming, manipulative, power hungry, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Burris has been portrayed as the grandfatherly, gentlemanly beneficiary of a Senate appointment. Blagojevich was ousted from office because of his "pay to play" tactics. Corruption was running amok. Barack Obama's Senate seat was up for sale, and Blagojevich was looking for the highest bidder.

But... when the appointment was actually made, and Roland Burris emerged as the pick, the talk of corruption and payoffs melted away. The media portrayed Blagojevich as bad, Burris as good. Now the dam is beginning to crack, and there's a Noah's Ark-type flood heading Burris' way.

You see... it's beginning to appear that there are some "inconsistencies" in Burris' previous statements. It doesn't look like you can call it perjury, but Burris sure did take a page from former President Clinton's statement that it "depends what the definition of is, is."

As noted in the AP story Burris: Feds' questions didn't prompt admissions, Burris was questioned in January before the Illinois House impeachment committee regarding his contacts with Blagojevich. The committee "specifically asked whether he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama."

Burris denied having any contact with Blagojevich or his aides. However, in a newly submitted affidavit, Burris admits that he did have contact with Blagojevich's brother, and -- low and behold -- during those conversations -- "Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before Blagojevich appointed Burris to the Senate."

Burris contends that he was never given the opportunity to answer a "direct" question about Blagojevich's brother, and thus "submitted the Feb. 4 affidavit to clarify."

As the AP reports:

[T]ranscripts of Burris' impeachment committee testimony show he had opportunities to provide a full response to Illinois legislators. In one instance, when asked directly about speaking to Robert Blagojevich and other associates of the former governor, Burris consulted with his attorney before responding.​

According to a Fox News report, Burris appears to be using the "they never asked" defense. He's denying that he committed perjury because the Illinois House committee didn't ask the particular question about Blagojevich's brother -- only Blagojevich himself and his aides.

But does the omission amount to perjury?

A review of the testimony Burris gave to the House panel last month shows that if Burris didn't lie about the chain of events that led to his appointment, he certainly had numerous opportunities to clear the air.

The most commonly cited opportunity came toward the beginning of his lengthy testimony.

In that exchange, Republican state Rep. Jim Durkin asked Burris if he had "any conversations" with Blagojevich prior to the governor's arrest about his "desire to be appointed" to the Senate seat.

"No," Burris said.​

Here is a portion of Burris' recent press conference:

So... he answered everything in the "time allotted" and made no "inconsistent" statements. In other words, had the committee given Burris more time, he would have surely perjured himself.

The opening statement is the highlight of Burris' performance at the press conference. Once actual questions are asked, it all goes downhill.

Burris is currently saying that he will not step down from his seat. As Fox News reports, "The Democratic senator remained adamant that the Feb. 4 affidavit was merely a promised supplement, not a contradiction, to his testimony before the impeachment committee and was not requested as part of the federal corruption investigation of Blagojevich's administration."

"There was no change of any of our testimony," Burris, 71, said. "We followed up as we promised the impeachment committee. ... The information that's being reported in terms of that this was done because of a fed statement is absolutely, positively not true."​

So... the beat goes on in Illinois politics. Burris might not know what the definition of is, is... but it looks like he soon might find out.
 
Jim, why would you insist on posting an opinio piece when there's plenty of factual articles on this?
 
If the facts are correct & there's plenty of factual articles on this, does it matter? Burris lied.
 
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