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Illinois lawmakers impeach corruption-tainted governor
AFP - 2 hours 44 minutes ago
CHICAGO, Jan 9, 2009 (AFP) - - Illinois lawmakers impeached their corruption tainted governor Friday in a move which could oust the man accused of trying to sell president-elect Barack Obama's senate seat from office.
The Illinois House of Representatives voted 114 to 1 to charge Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich with abuse of power. He now faces a trial in the state senate.
Blagojevich, who was arrested December 9 amid what prosecutors called a "political corruption crime spree" stands accused of a host of misdeeds.
"The evidence we gathered makes it clear that this governor tramples on the legislative prerogative. He breaks state and federal laws," said Democratic House Majority leader Barbara Flynn Currie.
"In his own words he expresses a willingness to barter state official acts and state taxpayer money for personal and political gain," she said.
"This governor has violated his oath of office. This governor has breached the public trust. This governor must be impeached."
Blagojevich has vehemently proclaimed his innocence and said he "can't wait" to clear his name in court. But he refused to defend himself in front of a state house inquiry which on Thursday recommended his impeachment.
There is "no chance" the governor will resign in the wake of his impeachment, spokesman Lucio Guerro told AFP.
Blagojevich was set to hold a press conference at 2000 GMT.
His office issued a statement Thursday saying the impeachment proceedings "were flawed, biased and did not follow the rules of law."
"When the case moves to the Senate, an actual judge will preside over the hearings, and the governor believes the outcome will be much different," the statement concluded.
The scandal has proven an unwelcome distraction for Obama as he prepares to take office on January 20.
While Obama is not accused of any wrongdoing and an internal review found his team had no "inappropriate" contacts with the governor's office, his incoming chief of staff has come under fire for discussing the seat with Blagojevich.
Illinois legislators put forth a litany of alleged abuses in a report recommending Blagojevich's impeachment.
Prominent among them were details of a 76-page FBI affidavit accusing the governor of a pattern of corruption, including refusing to free up funds for a children's hospital until he received a 50,000-dollar campaign contribution and trying to get editors critical of his administration fired from the Chicago Tribune.
Blagojevich's lawyers have dismissed partial transcripts of taped conversations about how he might trade Obama's senate seat for a cabinet post, ambassadorship or high-paying job as a bunch of "jabbering" that didn't go anywhere.
The impeachment report also accused Blagojevich of widespread hiring abuses, acting without legislative approval to expand health care, wasting state money on useless flu vaccines to get good publicity and refusing to release information to the public. It noted that "the federal government no longer trusts the governor with vital security information to which other governors routinely have access."
The state's financial problems have also been exacerbated after Blagojevich's arrest as its credit rating was downgraded making it more expensive to borrow money.
Lawmakers also blasted Blagojevich for appointing former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to fill Obama's seat despite Democratic warnings that anyone he named would not be seated in the national Senate.
Burris testified Thursday that he made no deals to gain the appointment and US Senate leaders indicated they may soon allow him to be seated despite the controversy.
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Governor Rod Blagojevich has been accused of trying to sell president-elect Barack Obama's senate seat for personal gain. Illinois lawmakers impeached their corruption tainted governor Friday in a move which could oust the man accused of trying to sell president-elect Barack Obama's senate seat from office.
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