(M. Spencer Green/AP Images)
Corruption in the Land of Lincoln?
Illinois governor accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat
UPDATE: The Illinois State Senate began impeachment proceedings against Governor Blagojevich on Monday, December 15. During the month-long impeachment process, State Senators will follow a specific process to bring formal charges against the Governor. If Blagojevich does not resign before the end of the impeachment process, the State Senate could remove him from office.
How much is a United States Senate seat worth?
That's the question Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is alleged to have been asking since early November. When President-elect Barack Obama resigned his seat as the junior senator from Illinois on November 16, it was up to Blagojevich (pronounced bluh-GOY-uh-vich) to name a replacement to serve out the rest of Obama's Senate term.
But federal prosecutors say that Governor Blagojevich tried to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. In light of this information, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested Blagojevich on Tuesday. He was charged with conspiracy and the solicitation of bribery.
"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," United States attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said. "The conduct [of Governor Blagojevich] would make Lincoln roll over in his grave."
According to the FBI, Blagojevich had been under investigation for quite some time. Using court-authorized wiretaps is how the FBI says it caught Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, engaging in corrupt activity.
On one recording, Blagojevich was caught talking about how he could use the open Senate seat for his and his family's benefit.
"I've got this thing and it's…golden," Blagojevich said, according to the transcript. "And I'm not just giving it up for…nothing. I'm not going to do it. … Our legal situation, our personal situation, my political situation—this decision, like every other one, needs to be based on that."
Prosecutors say Blagojevich was asking a lot in return for his Senate choice.
According to the FBI, Blagojevich wanted a "substantial" salary for himself at a nonprofit foundation or a union-affiliated organization, a spot for his wife on a corporate board, campaign money, and a position in Obama's Cabinet or an ambassadorship.
President-elect Obama has distanced himself from Blagojevich.
"What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat," Obama said today. "That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."
Obama has also joined other federal and state lawmakers who have called for Blagojevich to step down as Governor.
"This is a crisis of confidence of people in their government," Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn told the New York Times. "The Governor has to resign, or at the very least step aside."
Blagojevich has shown no interest in resigning. And as long as he remains Governor, he has the right under the Illinois Constitution to choose Obama's replacement.
"No appointment by this governor under these circumstances could produce a credible replacement," Illinois senior Senator Richard Durbin said.
If Blagojevich does appoint someone to Obama's Senate seat, the Senate has the constitutional authority to refuse to seat the appointee.
But Illinois lawmakers are thinking of ways to take that power away from Blagojevich. State legislative leaders will hold an emergency session next week to call for a special election to fill the empty seat. And Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has signaled that she is prepared to take her own action.
"I have the opportunity to go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare our Governor unable to serve and put in our lieutenant governor as acting Governor," Madigan said.
If Blagojevich doesn't resign, he will likely face impeachment (removal from office by the legislature). If he's convicted of everything he has been charged with, he could spend decades in federal prison.
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