From our friends at The Onion.
Category: Legal
Press Conference Video: Blagojevich Appoints Burris
Blago Goes Rogue – Appoints Roland Burris for Senate
“How- How- How much did you say? $14,000? Well, I gotta check my records because I didn’t think it was that much. I didn’t have that much money to give to the governor.” — Roland Burris when asked if his political contributions to Gov. Blagojevich played any part in his appointment to the U.S. Senate
The political landscape in Illinois dipped further into the Twilight Zone when Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The press conference alone was odd enough, with Blago introducing Burris, Burris fumbling his way through a Q&A, and, when all else failed, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago stepped in and took over the press conference.
It was perhaps the most surreal quarter-hour of political theater in the history of the great state of Illinois.
Every news report labels Blagojevich “embattled.” That’s an understatement. The governor long ago isolated himself and has had very few political friends in Illinois for several years. Adding to today’s drama is the exodus of William J. Quinlan as Blagojevich’s general counsel. Blago stands alone, and seems to like it that way.
But he sure expects favors in return – allegedly.
The governor’s announcement came less than an hour after U.S. Senate Democratic leadership issued a statement saying the Senate will not seat anyone Blagojevich chooses to fill Illinois’ vacant Senate post. The statement also is signed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has repeatedly urged Blagojevich not to name a replacement for the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Secretary of State Jesse White even weighed in with a statement that he would not certify Burris.
There’s been a lot of banter in the media about the legal effect of both statements. Can the U.S. Senate Democratic leadership legally block the appointment? Does Jesse White’s refusal to certify Burris make a difference? Burris was insistent tonight on The Rachel Maddow Show that the appointment is legal. Many in the legal world seemed to support that argument.
But that doesn’t mean the U.S. Senate has to act any time soon. Harry Reid can effectively refuse to seat Burris, which can potentially delay the appointment for two years or more.
Add to the mix of voices today that of Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who said he expects that Gov. Blagojevich will resign by February at the latest. If Burris has still not been seated by then, Quinn as acting governor can simply withdraw the appointment — perhaps.
The waters are muddier than the Fox River Valley after a flood.
Just another cold day in Blagoland.
Blago’s Chief of Staff John Harris Resigns
John Harris, chief of staff to Gov. Blagojevich who was charged along with him in a federal criminal complaint, resigned this morning, the governor’s office said.
No more news at this point. The announcement follows action by Attorney Gen. Lisa Madigan’s call on the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unable to serve.
Governor, your turn, sir.
Lisa Madigan Seeks to Oust Blago
The state of Illinois has been plunged into a constitutional crisis this week with the stinging indictment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Today, State Attorney General Lisa Madigan took it all up a notch:
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today opened an unprecedented legal attack against a sitting Illinois governor, taking the formal steps to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Gov. Blagojevich unfit to hold office.
Madigan filed paperwork with the state high court this morning, invoking what is known as Rule 382 that would ask justices to rule on “the ability of the governor to serve.”
Madigan is seeking a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, urging the state high court to oust Gov. Blagojevich “due to disability.”
The Sun-Times calls this an “untested legal front.” You better believe it. This move is without precedent in the state of Illinois. If Blagojevich continues to insist on his innocence and remains in office, we are left with government essentially at a standstill.
Again from the Sun-Times:
Only 15 states, including Illinois, grant their state’s highest courts authority to remove a governor from office. The last time one of those states invoked that special power was in Indiana in 2003, when former Gov. Frank O’Bannon was removed from office after having suffered a stroke.
This will be much more difficult. The man is innocent until proven guilty. Madigan made a point of saying in her press conference on this matter that she was in no way making a statement about the guilt or innocence of the governor in these alleged crimes. Her concern is that state government can no longer function.
Twice in one week, I’m completely blown away.
Blago Calls Obama a “Mother F***er”
Obama had no interest in “pay to play” politics with Blagojevich, according to the DoJ indictment:
ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois). ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the “financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to ROD BLAGOJEVICH, “the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family.” Later in the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that absent getting something back, ROD BLAGOJEVICH will not pick Senate Candidate 1.
HARRIS re-stated ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s thoughts that they should ask the President-elect for something for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s financial security as well as maintain his political viability. HARRIS said they could work out a three-way deal with SEIU and the Presidentelect where SEIU could help the President-elect with ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s appointment of Senate Candidate 1 to the vacant Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH would obtain a position as the National Director of the Change to Win campaign, and SEIU would get something favorable from the President-elect in the future.
DOJ Asked Trib to Hold Story on Blago Probe
The Chicago Tribune held off on publishing a story relating to the Bloagojevich probe. The paper granted the request of Patrick Fitzgerald.
From Fitzgerald’s press conference this morning:
About eight weeks ago, before we had the bug installed, and before we had the wiretap up, we were contacted by the Tribune to comment or confirm or deny on a story that they were going to run. Had they ran that story, we thought we’d never have the opportunity to install the bug or place the telephone tap. And we made an urgent request for the Tribune not to publish that story. That is a very rare thing for us to do, and it’s an even rarer thing for a newspaper to grant. We thought that the public interest request that the story not run. It was a very difficult conversation to have because we weren’t allowed to describe what we were doing. And I have to take my hat off that the Tribune withheld that story for a substantial period of time, which otherwise might have compromised the investigation from ever happening.
Gov Rod Blagojevich Arrested by Feds
The Chicago Tribune has the news:
A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney’s office would not confirm the information.
A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. “Haven’t heard anything — you are first to call,” Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail.
The stunning, early morning visit by authorities to the governor’s North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics.
When Blago was re-elected a few years back, a friend of mine in the legal profession commented, “Now we’ll know what it’s like to have a sitting governor indicted.”
And, strangely, I’m shocked when it finally happens.
Good job, Feds.
Chicago Heights to Give Tickets for Pot
It’s not often that I have something nice to say about government in neighboring Chicago Heights. Too much patronage for my tastes.
In Chicago Heights, getting caught with an “onion” of pot can get you a ticket. Yes, like a parking ticket.
The far south suburb this week became the latest to adopt an ordinance giving options to cops who find a roach in an ashtray.
In most cases—when the cop doesn’t tell you to just throw the stuff in the sewer—officers spend hours on arrests. There’s fingerprinting and paperwork, and then the officer has to go to court when you visit the judge.
A judge will typically make first-timers go to drug school, and eventually the case is dropped. It’s a lot of work for a few dried-up leaves.
But under the ordinance, 30 grams or less of pot (an onion is about 28 grams, or one ounce, enough for several joints) will yield a ticket and a $250 to $750 fine that won’t show up in a criminal record.
The best news of all, the city gets to keep the cash.
This is a huge step in the right direction. Cheers for Chicago Heights. I’ve heard too many police officers complain about all the ridiculous arrests they have to make for small drug possessions. Worse yet, we create real criminals by introducing so many to the prison system.
Drugs are first and foremost a medical issue, not a legal issue. We need to remember that, and treat them as such.
Catholic Bishops to Confront Obama on Abortion
Obviously perplexed and upset at their demonstrable lack of influence during the presidential election, the one-issue United States Catholic Bishops are determined to confront President-elect Barack Obama on the issue of abortion.
Several bishops issued statements before the election expressing their belief that “Catholics could not in good conscience vote for a candidate who favored abortion rights after Obama pledged to pass legislation that would overturn state’s restrictions on abortion such as late-term abortion bans and requirements of parental consent,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
The problem, of course, is that the bishops, as a whole, view the abortion isolated from all other life issues, including, but not limited to, sex education, contraception, welfare, health care, etc.
Here’s the news from the Chicago Tribune:
In a direct challenge to President-elect Barack Obama, America’s Roman Catholic bishops vowed on Tuesday to accept no compromise for the sake of national unity until there is legal protection for the unborn.
About 300 bishops, gathered in Baltimore for their national meeting, adopted a formal blessing for a child in the womb and advised Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George, president of the conference, as he began drafting a statement from the bishops to the incoming Obama administration. That document will call on the administration and Catholics who supported Obama to work to outlaw abortion.
This is going nowhere. The bishops have a problem here. Obama won the Catholic vote.
More than half of U.S. Catholics voted Tuesday for a presidential candidate at odds with the Church’s stance on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, despite the urging of more than 50 heads of dioceses to support pro-life candidates.
Brian Burch, co-founder and president of the Catholic-based think-tank Fidelis, spoke with ZENIT about the results of the election, and why he thinks a majority of Catholics voted for Democratic candidate Barack Obama, an admitted supportor of abortion rights.
The majority of Catholics get what the bishops are missing: life is bigger than one issue.
There was a time when the Catholic Church defined the beginning of life differently. St. Augustine, for example, taught that human life began when an infant draws its first breath. Augustine did not object to terminating a pregnancy.
Listen, I don’t favor abortion at all. Frankly, I don’t know anyone who does. No one wants to see unwanted pregnancies, and I know no one who actually wants to see more abortions. But when the bishops insist that the only solution to life issues in this world is a law forbidding abortion, they are naive.
How do we build a society where there are fewer unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, and how do we support those who do become pregnant in these situations? How do we create a world where there are fewer rapes, where there is less violence against women, where there is no incest? Do we do this by passing laws that turn every pregnant woman and her doctor into criminals?
Absolutely not. While that is an easy solution, it will not stop abortion, nor will it ensure that our society has “respect” for life.
The Catholic bishops have lived long without women in their lives. This was not always the case. There was a time when bishops and popes married happily and had families.
That was a long, long time ago, and they are out of touch on this one.