Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World
| Celeb Buzz | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird & Offbeat
--- Advertisment ---
Burris Blames State Impeachment Panel For Not Asking About Wiretapped Call
May 29, 2009 9:09 a.m. EST
--- Advertisment ---
Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) is blaming the special Illinois state committee that handled the impeachment of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for the controversy surrounding the his phone conversation with Blagojevich's brother, a wiretap of which was released this week to the U.S. Senate.
Burris is facing a Senate Ethics probe about the circumstances of his appointment and an investigation by the Sangamon County state's attorney on perjury allegations.
Appointed to the Senate last December by Blagojevich, Burris was sworn into office on Jan. 15, more than a week after members of the 111th Congress took the oath of office because Democrats initially tried blocking his nomination.
Testifying before the state impeachment committee had been one of the requirements laid out by Democrats before he could be seated, and he had testified that there had been no quid pro quo involved in his nomination.
But he submitted an affidavit to the special panel in February saying Blagojevich's brother had called him three times to ask for help in fundraising, information he had not revealed during his testimony. Allegations of perjury and calls for resignation erupted at the time, and were re-ignited this week, when a judge allowed a wiretap of a phone conversation between Burris and Blagojevich's brother to be released.
In the call, Burris says, "It has so many negative connotations that Burris is trying to buy an appointment... I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this and still be in the consideration for the appointment... if I do that I guarantee you that, that will get out and people said, oh, Burris is doing a fundraiser and, and then Rod and I both gonna catch hell..."
He adds, "I know I could give him a check... And, and my law partner we were gonna try to do something at the law firm. I might be able to do this in the name of Tim Wright...."
Burris has responded to the wiretap's release by saying it proves he was concerned about making a contribution to Blagojevich. He also says he did not donate any funds after the call.
The 71-year-old senator's answers as to why he did not disclose information about the call have been less clear, until Thursday, when he faulted the special state committee for not asking him about it.
"You all have got it all backwards," Burris told reporters, according to the Chicago Tribune. "It is not upon a person who is testifying to go out of his way on anything. It is the person who has to ask the questions...Why didn't the impeachment committee follow up with the questions to ask me?"
The argument was rejected the same day by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who had required Burris' testimony along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
''Back in the old days when I was just a lawyer, I knew how to get a witness ready for testimony,'' Durbin told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''You say to them, 'Listen carefully. Don't say anything more than you have to. Make them ask every single question so you don't get carried away and say too much.' "
Illinois state Reps. Jim Durkin, a Republican, and Jack Franks, a Democrat, have renewed their calls for Burris' resignation.
But perhaps the most succinct criticism of all is the one made by the Illinois Republican Party. On Thursday, it posted a a copy of the phone recording on its website, making a simple statement out of the embattled senator's wiretapped comments.
Blagojevich was impeached on Jan. 29 after a unanimous vote from the 59 members of the Illinois Senate.
He was indicted on April 2 on 16 felony counts, including racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy, along with his brother, Rob, former chief of staff Jonn Harris, associate Alonzo Monk, and fundraisers William Cellini and Christopher Kelly. He is accused of trying to sell the old Senate seat of President Barack Obama.
Copyright © 2003 - 2009 AHN - All rights reserved.Redistribution, republication. syndication, rewriting or broadcast is prohibited without the prior written consent of AHN.License AHN news for your website, business, digital signage network or publication.
Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird / Offbeat
© 2009 AHN
Client Login |
Submit News |
Privacy Policy |
Terms of Use
|
Contact
| Content Services
All Rights Reserved
Other News on Friday, 29 May 2009 Up to 35 insurgents killed in Afghanistan: officials
Russian 'Jungle Book' girl adapting to daily life
Blogging guru chips away at Great Firewall of China
Talent judge defends singing sensation Boyle
Time Warner to spin off ailing AOL
Blast at mosque in Iran's Zahedan kills 30: report
| International
|
Scores hurt as riots mar Barcelona celebrations
Iceland govt asks parliament to vote on EU membership
Israel dismisses US demand on settlements
Chatty Chavez begins Venezuelan talk-show marathon
| International
|
Mexican trains, trucks hijacked in new crime wave
| International
|
German unemployment rate falls to 8.2%
GM bankruptcy takes shape with US in charge
Lawmakers step down over British expenses scandal
| International
|
It's a girl: Thai zoo says panda cub is doing well
Seven charged with sectarian murder in Northern Ireland
| International
|
Obama to meet Palestinian leader Abbas
Verizon to sell Palm Pre, new BlackBerry Storm
| Technology
|
EU to study how Google Books impact authors
| Technology
|
Sony Ericsson unveils gesture gaming phone
| Technology
|
NYC police seek clues to explosion at Starbucks
OPEC holds output steady, sees economic recovery
Pakistan's forex reserves rise to $11.19 bln
S.Korea bank shares soar on hopes of M&A, lower capital
Wired South Korea mourns ex-president online
Judge says Boyle threatened to quit
| Entertainment
|
Family movies on way Up at box office
| Entertainment
|
Tom Sizemore arrested on drug warrant
| Entertainment
|
Depeche Mode singer has tumor removed
| Entertainment
|
DreamWorks to release five films every two years
| Entertainment
|
Indonesian court clears company, govt on mud disaster
Chatty Chavez begins Venezuelan talk-show marathon
| Entertainment
|
Just a Minute With: Japan's Oscar-winning Yojiro Takita
| Entertainment
|
Global newspaper sales inched up in 2008: industry body
Dutch city to close cannabis cafes near schools
Crisis hits iconic Christian Lacroix
Marcel Marceau auction raises $680,000
Italo renaissance sparks electro-music rethink
U.S. slams British press over report of abuse photos
Irish EU vote seen as litmus test
South Korea worries North may take more action
| International
|
Dell quarterly net profit down 63 percent
Blast at mosque in Iran's Zahedan kills 30
Bullish OPEC banks on demand bounce
Over 20,000 died in Sri Lanka rebels' defeat: report
| International
|
Future of newspapers is digital: Murdoch
Georgia struggles for EU's ear: president
Iran mosque bombing kills 19 worshippers: agency
GM bankruptcy takes shape with US in driver's seat
Weeping South Koreans pack streets for Roh's funeral
| International
|
Ancient eruption 'killed off world's sea life'
Microsoft unveils new Bing search engine
Up to 35 insurgents killed in Afghanistan: officials
Obama meets Abbas, presses Israel on settlements
| International
|
Israeli troops kill a Hamas leader in West Bank
Stem cell breakthrough gets closer to the clinic
Color Kindle 'multiple' years away: Amazon CEO
35 militants killed in Afghanistan: U.S. forces
| International
|
Nineteen die in Iran mosque bombing: governor
| International
|
Zhao's Chinese memoirs go on sale in Hong Kong
| International
|
Iraq leader vows to end corruption amid scandal
Big quake off Honduras kills 6, crumbles houses
| International
|
Victims recall U.S. abuse; other Iraqis shrug
| International
|
SKorea, US troops raise alert after NKorean threat
Deadly Pakistan blasts kill ten
Dalai Lama named honorary citizen of Warsaw
Obama meets Palestinian leader Abbas
Bombs and gun battle rock Pakistan's Peshawar
UN rights chief presses for Sri Lanka probe
Dell aspires to be top Asia PC brand by 2012
| Technology
|
Myanmar slams foreign interference over Suu Kyi
Utah workers criticize voiding of drilling leases
Xbox 360 to show Sky live and on-demand programming
| Technology
|
Boulder cops say 3 dead in planned murder-suicide
Australia isolates ship, orders swine flu vaccine
Man pleads not guilty to killing Chandra Levy
Pakistan seeks English version of Mumbai evidence
Japanese industrial output up 5.2 percent in April
China to crack down on Internet bars: state media
S.Korean bonds edge up early, production data eyed
Seoul shares open higher; pressured by banks
Japanese consumer prices down 0.1 percent in April
AirAsia quarterly profits up 26 percent
Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui to raise up to $8.3 bln
Microsoft Rolling Out New Search Engine Called Bing
U.S. To Host Leaders Of G-20 At September Summit In Pennsylvania
Nobel Prize-Winning Viagra Maker Dies At 92
Florida Eyeing Bounty To Wipe Out Everglades Scourge
Britons see French as sexier, but less witty: poll
Leno move shakes up U.S. television
| Entertainment
|
H1N1 Flu Kills Illinois Man, Third Death In State
Singing sensation Susan Boyle 'considered quitting show'
Steve Martin hits U.S. chart with banjo music
| Entertainment
|
U.S. President Meets With Palestinian Authority President On Advancing Mideast Peace
One in 4 kids in US is Hispanic, not recent immigrant: report
Wall Street Rallies As Treasury Concerns Ease
Microsoft Hopes Bing Has Big Bang
Dr. Dre debuts Detox in Dr. Pepper ad
| Entertainment
|
FDA OKs New Ankle Prosthesis
Producer recruiting military for film projects
| Entertainment
|
New Low Cost Airline Offers Nine Dollar Flights
Tom Sizemore arrested on drug warrant
| Entertainment
|
Spielberg's Tintin to unspool in late 2011
| Entertainment
|
Cheap Trick selling new album online
| Entertainment
|
Captain and Somali pirates set to go Hollywood
| Entertainment
|
Rihanna to testify in Brown case
| Entertainment
|
Russia, Belarus talks end in 'scandal': press
Death toll from Iran mosque bomb up to 23: reports
Opel future in the balance as bidders stall
Myanmar's Suu Kyi ill, court delays trial
| International
|
Book-burning row clouds Egypt's bid for UNESCO job
'Old woman' wows China's Pop Idol clone: report
Warships block vessel from rebel-held Somali port
| International
|
GM tweaks rescue plan as Chrysler back in court
Cyclone strands millions in India and Bangladesh
| International
|
Countries destroying cluster bomb stockpiles: report
| International
|
Iran official says mosque bombers hired by US
12 face federal human trafficking charges
White House downplays North Korea's threats
Clinton warns N. Korea against belligerent actions
Six Wounded After Rap Group Opens Fire At Austin Nightclub
Court Upholds Taking DNA Samples From Indicted Federal Felons
Court upholds 'not guilty' ruling on ex-Samsung boss
Concluding A 60-Day Review, Obama Bolsters National Security With Cyber Czar Position
Asia, Middle East to boost defence spend: Boeing
Obama Administration Orders Year-Long Ban On Roadless Forest Activities
S.Korea output rising but no sign of recovery
U.S. Economy Shows Sign Of Recovery As It Contracts By 5.7% In First Quarter
Seoul shares up led by techs, autos; banks fall
NZ dollar sits at highs after budget; bonds gain
Major Newspapers Hold Unpublicized Meeting In Chicago
Nader: McAuliffe Tried To Bribe Me In 2004
Pakistani c.bank buys back 21.4 bln rupees of bills
Insider Poll Says Republicans Shouldn't Block Sotomayor's Appointment
Burris Blames State Impeachment Panel For Not Asking About Wiretapped Call
Update: Tropical Depression 1 Steers Clear Of Land
China: green rules for overseas investors
Geithner to reassure China on investment
Ebbing violence heralds IT boom in Indian-Kashmir
Leno move shakes up U.S. television
| Entertainment
|
Congress party allots flats to Slumdog child stars
| Entertainment
|
S.Korea's pension fund to cut U.S. bond holdings
Internet sensation Boyle bids to win TV show final
| Entertainment
|
At National Bee, kids vie to be US best speller
Music producer Spector faces sentencing for murder
Victims slam govt over Indonesia's mud volcano
Tough anti-smoking measures split Croatia
Hungarian towns in horse race to attract tourists
New Low Cost Airline Offers Flights Under $10
Florida Eyes Bounty To Wipe Out Everglades' Slithering Scourge
Microsoft Dubs New Search Engine 'Bing'
Survey: Men, Women Average 30 Minutes Daily Or 8 Days A Year In Bathroom
Japanese Scientists Create First Transgenic Monkeys With Skin That Glows Green
Winner Of $232M Powerball Jackpot From Winner, S. Dakota
Canada's Governor General Defends Her Act Of Eating Raw Seal Heart
Maryland Saves Turtles And Gas By Enlisting Goats To Trim Grasses
Courtney Love Owes Over $300,000 To American Express For Credit Card Debt
Sienna Miller Was "Terrified" Of Handling Guns When Filming Her New Film "GI Joe"
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights