CHICAGO— The attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the governor will be vindicated and he has no plans to resign.
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” attorney Sheldon Sorosky told reporters after Blagojevich was arraigned. “A lot of this is just politics.”
Blagojevich should be in the office Wednesday, Sorosky added.
So, reporters asked, he does not intend to resign?
“Not that I know of, no,” said Sorosky, who added that the governor was “surprised” by the day’s events.
Blagojevich was arraigned at 2:30 p.m. the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, appearing before a judge wearing a blue fleece, black jogging pants and sneakers. He was released on his own recognizance, and told not to travel outside the United States. In a courtroom filled to capacity, the governor looked to the floor as the U.S. attorney read the charges, speaking only when he was asked about turning in his passport.
Blagojevich left the courthouse through secluded exit, seemingly to avoid reporters.
“He is still the governor of the state of Illinois,” U.S. Marshall Kim Widup told reporters staked out in lobby when explaining why Blagojevich left through the special exit.
In the courthouse lobby teeming with media, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna made an appearance to do in person what a press release made clear earlier in the day: The state party believes Blagojevich should resign.
The man has been on the hot pads for a while now. A few months ago he was accused of amending the state laws, to which the legislative reacted and vowed to reverse the changes.
And with the latest news, on the charges that he was “auctioning” Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder.
Illinois now being urged to called an immediate election to elect Obama's successor, so the power to appoint doesn't land in Blagojevich's hands (again).
i mean its almost an open secret that hes probably atleast slightly corrupt, with his chicago background he could never be completely clean. question is how much dirt does blago have to dish.
But the phone conversation they are broadcasting on radio they seem innocent enough more of a bargaining for more funds for his state and not an auction of the Senate seat for his personal gain ?
I a sure there more to it than meets the eye.
Lets see how Hazrat Obama escapes any fallout from this scandal. The guy (Blag...) is clearly a sailor at heart. The number of F-bombs dropped per second will shame most rappers.
some of the more excitable people (usually non obama fans) are suggesting the timing of the move on Blago is so that he could be flipped into talking about Obama before the inauguration.
