The Associated Press is reporting that South Carolina lawmakers will formally consider the impeachment of Gov. Mark Sanford (R) next week.

House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Harrison, a Republican, said "that he will gather a seven-member panel on Tuesday to begin discussing whether to begin proceedings that ultimately could remove" Sanford, a two-term Republican who cannot run again in 2010. Harrison said he plans to send an impeachment resolution to the full Judiciary Committee by Christmas.

John O'Connor of The State newspaper reports that Sanford has agreed to turn over a State Ethics Commission investigative report on his travel and campaign spending to the House, a report that has yet to be shared with the public.

The investigation stems from Sanford's mysterious disappearance from the state for five days last July, after which it was discovered he was visiting his mistress in Argentina. Those calling for impeachment have argued that he neglected his duties as governor; others question whether state funds were used to facilitate his affair.

BURRIS. The Senate ethics committee has ended its inquiry into the appointment of Sen. Roland Burris, saying the Illinois Democrat committed no "actionable violations of the law" when he was picked by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) back in December to succeed Barack Obama. Blagojevich has since been impeached, convicted and removed from office following his efforts to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.

But in its letter to Burris, the committee:

found that you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading, or incomplete information to the public, the Senate, and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate. The Committee also found that your November 13, 2008 phone call with Robert Blagojevich [Rod's brother] was inappropriate. Although some of these events happened before you were sworn in as a U.S. Senator, they were inextricably linked to your appointment and therefore fall within the jurisdiction of this Committee.

While the Committee did not find that the evidence before it supported any actionable violations of law, Senators must meet a much higher standard of conduct.

Burris had this reaction:

I am pleased that after numerous investigations, this matter has finally come to a close. I thank the members of the Senate Ethics Committee for their fair and thorough review of this matter, and now look forward to continuing the important work ahead on behalf of the people of Illinois.

Burris announced in July he would not seek election to a full term in 2010.

Former Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who lost his seat in 2008 while he was under indictment for bribery and racketeering -- and who was convicted of the charges earlier this year -- was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for his crimes. Roll Call reports it is the longest incarceration ever ordered for a former Member of Congress.

The prosecution had asked for a 33-year sentence.

Prosecutors said that Jefferson took around a half million dollars in bribes, $90,000 of which were found stuffed in his freezer. The bribes were in exchange for his influence in helping to broker business deals in Africa.

Jefferson was defeated last year in his overwhelmingly Democratic district by Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao. Cao was in the news last week as the only Republican in the House to vote in favor of the Democrats' health-care bill.

At Jefferson's sentencing, Judge T.S. Ellis said, "Public corruption is a cancer. It needs to be surgically removed."

The Anchorage Daily News' Cockerham & Bolstad report that new court documents filed this week indicate that Rep. Don Young (R-AK) "directly tie him to the Alaska corruption investigation through gifts and illegal campaign contributions by Bill Allen and his oil-field service company Veco Corp." Here's more:

The documents were filed late Wednesday as part of the preparations for the sentencing next week of former Veco chief Bill Allen, who is at the heart of the investigation into corruption in Alaska politics.

It included a 2007 "confession of additional criminal activity," made public for the first time in filings Wednesday, in which Allen alleged 13 years worth of gift-giving by him and fellow Veco executive Rick Smith to "United States Representative A," described as Alaska's representative in the House. Only Don Young fits that description.

Allen's confession said Veco spent between $130,000 and $195,000 on illegal corporate donations to Young by paying for his annual "pig roast" fundraiser in Anchorage from 1993 to 2006. ...

Young reported no gifts on his disclosure forms from 1995 until last year, when he disclosed $77,000 in donations that he received for his legal defense fund.

It was lack of disclosure on those same forms that led the Justice Department to indict then-Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens on corruption charges also related to Veco. A jury convicted Stevens, but those charges were withdrawn earlier this year by the Justice Department after defense attorneys questioned the way prosecutors and the FBI handled witnesses and evidence.

Roll Call's Paul Singer, writing about the latest development, adds, "Young has not been charged with any wrongdoing."

In 2008 Young barely survived a Republican primary challenge from then-Lt. Gov. (and now Gov.) Sean Parnell, who was endorsed by then-Gov. Sarah Palin. He then went on to win re-election over Ethan Berkowitz (D), 50-45 percent.

As bad as the circus surrounding Rod Blagojevich got -- and, let's face it, it got pretty bad -- one thing was widely heard throughout all of it: At least Roland Burris is an honest guy.

Once Blagojevich, then the governor of Illinois, was arrested Dec. 9 on corruption charges -- one of them alleging that he wanted to sell a vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder -- Democratic leaders in Washington said that even if the governor were brazen enough to still go ahead and name someone to fill Barack Obama's seat, they still wouldn't accept the appointment.

Blagojevich went ahead anyway, naming Burris on Dec. 30. Senate Democrats -- led by Majority Leader Harry Reid and Whip Dick Durbin (and backed by the president-elect) -- tried to prevent it, coming up with what they claimed was a constitutional barrier. That went nowhere. Ultimately, they threw up their hands, said OK, Roland, you win. But first, you must testify at Blagojevich's impeachment trial in Springfield. Tell them all about your contacts with the governor or representatives of the governor.

On Jan. 5, Burris sent a sworn affidavit to the impeachment committee that "there was not any contact" between himself and anyone associated with the governor. Three days later, appearing before the committee in person, his story changed a bit. In answer to a question, Burris acknowledged that he'd had a conversation with a former chief of staff to the governor and his interest in the Senate seat did come up.

On Jan. 15, Burris was sworn in as a senator. Exactly two weeks later, the impeached Blagojevich was convicted by the state Senate and removed from office.

Fast forward to earlier this month. Burris sent a "supplemental affidavit" to the impeachment committee, saying that he spoke to many Blagojevich allies about the Senate seat, including Robert Blagojevich, the governor's brother and chief fundraiser. The brother even asked Burris if he could do some fundraising for the governor, but Burris said he couldn't.

As if that weren't damning enough, now we learn this week that Burris actually attempted to raise money for Blago. While he was hoping to be appointed to the Senate! He didn't raise any money. But still ...

Why Burris decided this week to reveal that bit of information is part of the mystery. Many feel that he must have figured that Robert Blagojevich's phone calls were probably monitored by the feds, though he denies this. No matter. The Senate Ethics Committee in Washington has opened a preliminary inquiry (which is perfunctory), and Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt (with jurisdiction in Springfield) has begun a perjury investigation of his own.

Today the Chicago Tribune editorially called on Burris to resign:

The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. It finally snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four. ... The story gets worse with every telling.

Enough. Roland Burris must resign.

The Washington Post had a similar editorial today.

Not leaving. In a long-scheduled speech today at the Chicago City Club, Burris said everyone should "stop the rush to judgment." He took no questions. (My favorite Burris line from his speech: "A new wind is blowing across Washington." He clearly missed the irony.)

D.C. Dems. They're in wait-and-see mode, but neither Reid nor Durbin (who is in Greece) hid his disappointment. It's as if they knew from the beginning that anyone who was in any way connected to Blagojevich was tainted.

Opponents. Right now the one Democrat who looks most likely to jump into the 2010 race is state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who interestingly is in Greece this week with Durbin. Two members of Congress, Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis, clearly want to be senator, but would they take Burris on in the primary? Also mentioned is state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, but the feeling all along is that she wants to be governor. (And who knows if Pat Quinn, the Democrat who succeeded Blagojevich as governor, will run for the job ... though the guess is that he will.)

And what about Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.? His name once headed the list of those likely to succeed Obama in the Senate. But now his name may be more sullied than anyone else's in the wake of the Blagojevich seat-selling scandal (other than Burris', that is).

Waiting in the wings is likely to be Rep. Mark Kirk, a moderate Republican from Chicago's north suburbs. Given the farcical nature of Democratic politics in Illinois these past 10 weeks, Kirk could win the seat in November.

Primary colors. Adding to the mystery is the uncertainty over when the 2010 primary will take place. Held on the third Tuesday in March as long as I can remember, lawmakers moved it up to early February in 2007 in an effort to give Barack Obama a boost in his presidential bid. It is currently scheduled for Feb. 2, 2010. But now Gov. Quinn is hinting that he may want to move it back to September. He says the campaign season is too long with an early primary. Others say the reason he wants to move the date is to give him more of an opportunity to win over doubters in his own party that he's up for the job of governor.

Once upon a time, Durbin was among those who called for a special election to fill the Senate seat. Other Democrats, both in Washington and Springfield, fearing they could lose the seat that way, quickly shot it down. Is this any better?

Back in 2005, when things were much different from what they are now -- Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress and, even more dramatic, Political Junkie was a weekly column -- Nancy Pelosi had a favorite catchphrase: the ongoing "culture of corruption" in Congress.

Her rogues' gallery was not insignificant. Tom DeLay. Bob Ney. Duke Cunningham. Throw in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and the later Mark Foley sex scandal, and what you have -- what Pelosi and the Democrats had -- was an argument to end GOP control of Congress. (See the Dec. 2, 2005, Political Junkie column.)

It was not just the corruption. The war in Iraq and the government's response to Hurricane Katrina were big factors as well. But Election Day 2006 brought Democrats to majorities in both houses of Congress, made Pelosi speaker of the House, and set the stage for Barack Obama's election as president two years later.

And what of the issue of corruption? I'll let you decide.

For the record, this isn't a game, or a contest, over which scandal was worse, or which party was or is more corrupt. The goal here is not to compare 2005 to 2009. We don't even know if what's going on now will reach the "scandal" level. But there are some troubling things worth discussing.

A lobbying firm with close ties to Murtha was raided in November.

Back in November, federal investigators raided the offices of the PMA Group, a major D.C. lobbying firm, as part of an investigation into alleged improper campaign contributions. PMA is known for helping clients receive multimillion-dollar earmarks from congressional legislation. The firm has close ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a powerful member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee who for more than three decades in Congress has helped direct projects and largess to his district in western Pennsylvania. PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti once worked for Murtha on the Appropriations Committee. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Murtha arranged $38 million in earmarks for PMA clients in the past fiscal year. The firm's executives and clients are among Murtha's biggest sources of campaign contributions.

Another firm, the defense contractor Kuchera Industries -- located in Murtha's hometown of Johnstown, Pa. -- was also raided, in January. Kuchera has received millions of dollars in defense contracts over the years. It too has close ties to Murtha.

The New York Times' David Kirkpatrick writes that federal prosecutors are looking to see if PMA "may have funneled bogus campaign contributions" to not only Murtha but two other Democratic House members, Jim Moran of Virginia and Peter Visclosky of Indiana. A Murtha spokesman has said the congressman is not a target of the investigation and the two raids do not involve him.

That may be so. But everyone is aware that both raids were on entities with close ties to Murtha, whose own ethics questions date back to the Abscam scandal of 1980, when he was approached by FBI agents posing as businessmen offering bribes and who said, on videotape, "I'm not interested -- at this point. If we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't." Unlike six other House members who were indicted and convicted in the scandal, Murtha escaped both.

Republicans of course would love to see Murtha fall. Once a strong supporter of the 2002 measure that authorized President Bush to wage war in Iraq, Murtha did an about-face on the war in 2005, which endeared him to Pelosi and earned him the enmity of conservatives. In 2006, after the Democrats won control of the House, Pelosi supported his bid for majority leader (in which he lost badly to Maryland's Steny Hoyer).

There is a childish political tit-for-tat element in the story, as reported by Roll Call's Paul Singer and Tory Newmyer:

Republicans hoping to seize the ethical high ground from Democrats are already salivating at the prospect that a key ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) may be in trouble.

"The signs that Rep. Murtha may be hiding serious ethical problems are clearer every day, but Speaker Pelosi continues [to] turn a blind eye to the news about her hand-picked choice for House Majority Leader," Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), said in a statement. "Despite their campaign promises, the Democratic Leadership is still more interested in sweeping ethics problems under a rug than 'draining the swamp.' "

A senior House Democratic aide shot back: "Taking ethics advice from John Boehner with Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) under federal investigation is like asking his advice about how to quit smoking."

But behind the scenes, Democrats are watching this closely, with apprehension.

Murtha is not the only name that has come up on the ethics front. There is an ongoing probe into the conduct of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Among the allegations: his failure to pay taxes on income from a vacation home in the Dominican Republic. His use of four rent-controlled apartments in a Harlem apartment building. Charges that he helped a donor to City College's Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service get a tax loophole in exchange for a contribution.

Republicans, as expected, forced a vote to strip Rangel of his chairmanship, and, as expected, they lost. Speaker Pelosi has not backed away from her support of him one bit.

Did I mention the former Democratic governors of New York, who resigned because of a prostitution scandal, and Illinois, who was impeached and removed from office amid allegations he offered to sell a vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder? And that the administration of the current Democratic governor of New Mexico remains embroiled in a pay-to-play investigation? We would still be talking about the indictment of Louisiana's Bill Jefferson (D) if voters hadn't ended his career in last December's runoff. And what about Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and the mortgage deal he got from Countrywide?

After the Democrats' big win in 2006, Pelosi promised she would "drain the swamp." She may come to realize, if she hasn't already, that neither party has a monopoly on integrity.

Then-Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn talks to the media at a Jan. 23 news conference in Chicago. Quinn discussed what he would do if he were to become governor. M. Spencer Green/AP

 

Despite his long career in politics, he was never seen as a powerhouse. He was more of a "goo-goo" -- one of those "good government" liberal populist reformers. He was dismissed as a gadfly, an odd-duck publicity-seeker, not especially known as a team player. Certainly not a go-along-to-get-along type of guy. He made his share of political enemies, many from his own Democratic Party.

But he is Pat Quinn, and Pat Quinn is now Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. His ascension became official today when the state Senate, by a unanimous 59-0 vote, officially ended the governorship of Rod Blagojevich.

If Blagojevich was vain and over the top, Quinn, 60 years old, is a mostly humor-challenged pol. He is an outsider who spent many years, and many elections, trying to make it on the inside. He champions the little guy, the powerless, with his longtime support for citizen initiatives, and he has spent a career battling special interests.

But he is not the most popular pol in Springfield either. His successful effort to cut the size of the state Legislature left him with some bitter enemies. And now he has become the most powerful person in Illinois state government.

Campaign record. In 1986, he sought the Democratic nomination for Illinois state treasurer but finished third in the primary to Jerry Cosentino. In 1990, with Cosentino running for secretary of state, Quinn was elected treasurer (with, by the way, the help of strategist David Axelrod).

Four years later he took the same route as his predecessor Cosentino: He ran for secretary of state. But he lost to Republican George Ryan, later the governor and later convicted of corruption. In 1996, Sen. Paul Simon (D) retired, and Quinn jumped into the primary to succeed him. But he got clobbered by a downstate congressman, Dick Durbin, now the Senate majority whip. In 1998 he lost a bid to become lieutenant governor.

But four years later, in 2002, he tried again, and he won the Democratic primary for LG and found himself on the same ticket as the party's gubernatorial candidate, Congressman Rod Blagojevich. Had it been an ordinary year, Quinn could have once again gone down to defeat. But by 2002, the Republlicans in Illinois were reeling, the governor under a corruption investigation that would eventually send him to prison. The Blagojevich-Quinn ticket won, and despite the hints of the governor's ethics woes throughout much of his first term, they were re-elected in 2006.

But by his own admission, he hasn't been close to the governor. At the time of Blagojevich's arrest on Dec. 9, Quinn said the two hadn't spoken in a year. He certainly didn't hesitate to talk about him, though, saying that the governor should resign his office.

He wouldn't. The Illinois state Senate decided the issue by convicting him today. And now Pat Quinn, gadfly outsider, is governor.

One of the interesting aftermaths of all this is the looming presence of 2010. Lisa Madigan, the state attorney general and a longtime Blago foe, had been preparing to run for governor next year, taking on Blagojevich in the primary if she had to. Now, with Quinn as governor, that dynamic has changed. Stay tuned.

The political career of Rod Blagojevich is over.

The Illinois state Senate has voted unanimously to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) from office. The 59-0 vote comes nearly three weeks after the state House voted 114-1 to impeach him.

The vote came after a lengthy, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort by Blagojevich to make his case that removing him from office was unwarranted and, without (as he said) proof of wrongdoing, would be a "dangerous and chilling precedent." But lawmakers were well aware of phone conversations the governor had -- taped by federal prosecutors -- that talked of, among other things, a desire to sell Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The first line of a press release from Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL): "Good riddance."

The lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn (D), will be the new governor. He will be sworn in shortly. Click here to see his political profile.

Rod Blagojevich may be hours away from becoming only the eighth governor in U.S. history to be impeached and removed from office. The other seven:

William Holden of North Carolina, 1871
David Butler of Nebraska, 1871
William Sulzer of New York, 1913
James Ferguson of Texas, 1917*
John Walton of Oklahoma, 1923
Henry Johnston of Oklahoma, 1929
Evan Mecham of Arizona, 1988

POSTSCRIPT: Robert Yoon of CNN correctly notes that Ferguson resigned as governor of Texas on Aug. 25, 1917, the day before his conviction was announced.

Governor, but not for long.

Rod Blagojevich (D), in a last-ditch attempt to stave off a vote that would end his governorship, spent 48 minutes in an impassioned speech before the Illinois state Senate arguing that removing him from office without proof of wrongdoing would be a "dangerous and chilling precedent."

Blagojevich had been boycotting the state Senate trial, which was convened following the 114-1 vote to impeach him in the state House on Jan. 9. His "closing argument" today was not the same as testifying; had he done the latter, he would have been subjected to questions from lawmakers.

The governor was arrested on Dec. 9, with prosecutors alleging he had, among other things, attempted to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. They had been tapping his phone. From the outset, he has insisted on his own innocence, saying he had done nothing wrong and certainly that there was no proof he had.

He begged the lawmakers to let him prove his innocence by calling witnesses who he said would back up his case -- such as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (his successor in Congress), Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), all of whom either spoke with the governor or were presumably taped in phone calls with the governor in conversations about the Senate seat.

For much of today's speech he talked about how he fought for seniors on the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada and what he accomplished in his six years as governor. At other times, he rambled. But all the while his argument was the same: How can you throw a governor out of office with no proof of wrongdoing? Why won't you allow me to call witnesses who will attest to my innocence?

He finished at about 12:53 p.m. Eastern time. Right now a prosecutorial rebuttal is being heard by Illinois lawmakers. A vote -- two-thirds of the 59 senators (40) is required to convict -- is expected later today.

Assuming the votes are there -- and there is no reason to suspect they are not -- Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) will soon become the next governor of Illinois.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has begun to address the state Senate for his "closing argument" in his impeachment trial.

John Cullerton, president of the Illinois state Senate, which is presently deciding the fate of Rod Blagojevich, said today that the governor wants to make a closing statement at his impeachment trial tomorrow. Cullerton pointed out that Blagojevich doesn't necessarily want to testify; that would put him in the position of answering questions from lawmakers.

This would be the governor's first appearance at the trial. Currently on a media blitz, he has refused to show up in Springfield because he says the rules governing the trial are unfair. He is not, for example, allowed to call witnesses, and the gov wants to bring White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to the stand to back up his claim that he never suggested anything illegal in his conversations with them about the Obama Senate seat.

The Illinois House voted 117-1 to impeach Blagojevich on Jan. 9 -- one month after his arrest on corruption charges. A two-thirds vote -- 40 of the 59 senators -- is needed to remove him from office. The vote could take place tomorrow.

If Blagojevich is removed, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, his fellow Democrat, would become governor.

Blagojevich is not going to leave voluntarily. Despite two new campaign buttons.

Now that the circus in New York seems to have been resolved, the continuing circus in Illinois -- the impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- is expected to move on to a new phase on Monday.

And that leads to this question from James McKinstra of Freeport, Ill.:

Do you know if the general public will be allowed to attend and observe the Blago impeachment trial?

I didn't know the answer, so I turned to NPR's David Schaper, who has been following the fun.

I was just looking over the rules as I prepare to cover the trial, so here is the rule regarding the openness of the trial:

Rule 23. Sessions; open or closed.

(a) At all times while the Senate is sitting upon the trial of an impeachment, the doors of the Senate and the Senate galleries shall be kept open, unless the Senate directs the doors to be closed while deliberating upon its decisions. A motion to close the doors may be made by any member of the Senate, and the motion shall be deemed granted only if sustained by two-thirds of those elected to the Senate by record vote.

(b) By granting a motion under subsection (a), the Senate finds that it is in the public interest for the Senate, as provided in Section 5(c) of Article IV of the Constitution, to conduct deliberations and debate on impeachment matters in closed session.

I would expect most if not all of the impeachment trial, including deliberations, will be open to the public.

There is a gallery for the general public to view all the action on the floor of the Illinois Senate, but there may be space limitations. I believe the trial will be broadcast online, and can be viewed through the Illinois General Assembly's web site: www.ilga.gov

A Delay? Samuel Adam, Blagojevich's new attorney, is considering a lawsuit to halt the trial, calling the Senate rules "completely unfair." And the governor himself said he had no intention of mounting a defense if the rules don't change. In light of the overwhelming vote in the state House to impeach Blago, it is unlikely that the Senate vote to convict will be much different. Pat Quinn is expected to be the next governor of Illinois sometime in February.

That Explains It. In an interview this morning on WLS radio, Blagojevich said the reason Illinois lawmakers are anxious to get rid of him is so they can go ahead and raise taxes once he's gone.

Rod And Reel. He's not going to go willingly, but nonetheless a group called "Rod Must Resign" has been holding demonstrations in Chicago in the past couple of weeks calling for the gov to leave. Spokesman Phil Molfese said, "We believe that the governor can no longer lead our state, because he has lost the trust of the people he was elected to represent. His effectiveness as an elected official has been compromised beyond all repair." Scott Cohen, a local businessman who founded the group, said, ""Blagojevich has been asked by President Obama and Senator Durbin. Now, he's being asked by the voters, the people who put him in office, to resign." The group has the buttons to show for it. And that's good enough for us.

The vote wasn't close, nor was it expected to be: 114-1. One hundred fourteen members of the Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) for an assortment of alleged crimes, the first chief executive in the state's 190-year history to suffer that fate.

Chicago Sun-Times' Dave McKinney describes the mood:

For more than 90 minutes, House members solemnly laid out a list of transgressions against Blagojevich that warranted his impeachment -- from his alleged offer to sell the state's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder, to his alleged extortion of a children's hospital for a campaign contribution from its CEO, to his $2.6 million expenditure for imported flu vaccines that never reached Illinois and had to be thrown out.

"We wanted him. We elected him. We supported him. And he's disgraced us," said state Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) said.

"Today, we are taking the first step in taking back our government from the darkness and bringing it back to the light. The plague -- it is a plague that has been brought on our state by Rod Blagojevich -- will be lifted. This is a new day, a better day," said state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock).

House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), chairwoman of the House panel that recommended impeachment, said the evidence to drive Blagojevich from office was overwhelming.

"The evidence we gathered makes it clear this governor tramples on the legislative prerogative. He breaks state and federal laws. In his own words, he expresses a willingness to barter state official acts and state taxpayer money for personal and political gain. This governor has violated his oath of office. This governor has breached the public trust. This governor must be impeached," she said.

The only House member to vote against the resolution was state Rep. Milton Patterson (D) of Chicago, who said there "wasn't enough" evidence against the governor to warrant such an action. Elga Jefferies, another Chicago Democrat, voted present.

The case now goes to the state Senate, where a two-thirds vote is required to remove Blagojevich from office.

The last governor impeached was Arizona's Evan Mecham (R), who was removed from office in 1988. Before that, it was Huey Long (D) of Louisiana, in 1929. But he was acquitted in the Senate.

The Illinois legislative committee investigating the conduct of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has unanimously recommended his impeachment and conviction. The 21-member committee comprised 12 Democrats and nine Republicans. A vote in the full House is expected soon.

Blagojevich was arrested on Dec. 9 on an assortment of charges, including allegations that he tried to sell Barack Obama's now-vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. The governor has insisted he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

More on this tomorrow, along with the continuing saga of the Roland Burris Senate nomination plus a new ScuttleButton puzzle!

A report prepared by Greg Craig of the Obama transition team says that neither the president-elect nor anyone associated with him engaged in any unethical or inappropriate conduct in dealing with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich regarding Obama's former Senate seat.

In his cover letter sent to Obama, Craig writes,

The accounts support your statement on December 11, 2008 that you "have never spoken to the Governor on this subject [or] about these issues," and that you "had no contact with the Governor's office." In addition, the accounts contain no indication of inappropriate discussions with the Governor or anyone from his office about a "deal" or a quid pro quo arrangement in which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the vacancy.

One member of the transition staff, Rahm Emanuel, did have contacts of the type covered by your request. I discuss the nature of those contacts in the attached report. David Axelrod and
Valerie Jarrett, two other individuals on the transition staff, did not have any contacts with the Governor or his office but are included in the report to address questions raised by the press.

Craig says that Obama "had no contact or communication with Governor Blagojevich or members of his staff about the Senate seat":

In various conversations with transition staff and others, the President-Elect expressed his preference that Valerie Jarrett work with him in the White House. He also stated that he would neither stand in her way if she wanted to pursue the Senate seat nor actively seek to have her or any other particular candidate appointed to the vacancy.

After Ms. Jarrett decided on November 9, 2008 to withdraw her name from consideration as a possible replacement for him in the Senate and to accept the White House job, the President-Elect discussed other qualified candidates with David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel. Those candidates included Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Jesse Jackson, Jr., Dan Hynes and Tammy Duckworth. The President-Elect understood that Rahm Emanuel would relay these names to the Governor's office as additions to the pool of qualified candidates who might already be under consideration. Mr. Emanuel subsequently confirmed to the President that he had in fact relayed these names. At no time in the discussion of the Senate seat or of possible replacements did the President-Elect hear of a suggestion that the Governor expected a personal benefit in return for making this appointment to the Senate.

As for Emanuel, Craig writes that he

had one or two telephone calls with Governor Blagojevich. Those conversations occurred between November 6 and November 8, 2008. Soon after he decided to accept the President-Elect's offer to serve as Chief of Staff in the White House, Mr. Emanuel placed a call to the Governor to give him a heads up that he was taking the Chief of Staff's position in the White House, and to advise him that he would be resigning his seat in the House of Representatives. They spoke about Mr. Emanuel's House seat, when he would be resigning and potential candidates to replace him. He also had a brief discussion with the Governor about the Senate seat and the merits of various people whom the Governor might consider. Mr. Emanuel and the Governor did not discuss a cabinet position, 501c(4), a private sector position for the Governor or any other personal benefit for the Governor.

In those early conversations with the Governor, Mr. Emanuel recommended Valarie Jarrett because he knew she was interested in the seat. He did so before learning -- in further conversations with the President-Elect -- that the President-Elect had ruled out communicating a preference for any one candidate. As noted above, the President-Elect believed it appropriate to provide the names of multiple candidates to be considered, along with others, who were qualified to hold the seat and able to retain it in a future election. The following week, Mr. Emanuel learned that the President-Elect and Ms. Jarrett with the President's strong encouragement had decided that she would take a position in the White House.

Between the time that Mr. Emanuel decided to accept the position of Chief of Staff in the White House and December 8, 2008, Mr. Emanuel had about four telephone conversations with John Harris, Chief of Staff to the Governor, on the subject of the Senate seat. In these conversations, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Harris discussed the merits of potential candidates and the strategic benefit that each candidate would bring to the Senate seat. After Ms. Jarrett removed herself from consideration, Mr. Emanuel -- with the authorization of the President-Elect -- gave Mr. Harris the names of four individuals whom the President-Elect considered to be highly qualified:D an Hynes, Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Schakowsky and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.

In later telephone conversations, Mr. Emanuel -- also with the President-Elect's approval --presented other names of qualified candidates to Mr. Harris including Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Ms. Cheryle Jackson. Mr. Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the Governor in any of these conversations. There was no discussion of a cabinet position, of 501c(4), of a private sector position or of any other personal benefit to the Governor in exchange for the Senate appointment.

Although Mr. Emanuel recalls having conversations with the President-Elect, with David Axelrod and with Valerie Jarrett about who might possibly succeed the President-Elect in the Senate, there was no mention of efforts by the Governor or his staff to extract a personal benefit in return for filling the Senate vacancy.

It's certainly plausible that Emanuel, the ultimate political insider and deal maker, only had "one of two" phone calls about the Senate seat with Blagojevich, none since Nov. 8, and "about four" calls with Harris, the former Blago chief of staff who was also arrested with the governor on Dec. 9. Had there been no contact between Rahm and Blago, well, that would have raised eyebrows. But since all the conversations ended early, and with Valerie Jarrett withdrawing her name from Senate consideration early, two questions stand out:

Was anyone on Obama's team warned in advance by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald about the wiretaps into Blagojevich's office? Did Jarrett take her name out because the transition team learned about the attempt to sell the seat?

Then again, the fact that Blagojevich was under investigation for corruption has been known for years. Even before his re-election in 2006. So maybe that's why the conversations ended early. Ultimately, this may indeed be much ado about nothing. And while there has never been any indication of any nefarious behavior by anyone on the Obama team, there is still something interesting about a report absolving a team written by a member of the team.

By the way, President-elect Obama is vacationing in Hawaii. And, according to Huffington Post's Sam Stein, Emanuel left earlier today for a "long planned family vacation in Africa."

David Safavian, a former Bush administration official whose 2006 conviction over lying about his relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff was overturned on appeal, was convicted Friday on similar charges. Safavian was chief of staff at the General Services Administration when Abramoff gave him trips and gifts in exchange for advice on how to obtain two pieces of GSA property that he wanted.

NPR's Peter Overby, who has followed the Abramoff scandal from the outset and has closely watched as others in the case have been convicted and sent to prison, has this report:

In the sprawling criminal case still emanating from Jack Abramoff's lobby operations, there's just one defendant who has fought the feds in court. And now he's lost for a second time.

David Safavian was one of the duffers on Abramoff's ill-fated golf outing to Scotland in 2002. They were buddies. But Safavian was also chief of staff at the General Services Administration -- GSA is the government's property manager -- and Abramoff had a couple deals he wanted to work with GSA. Safavian was advising him on the QT.

In 2006, a jury found Safavian guilty of lying to investigators about that back-channel relationship. Safavian appealed and won a new trial. Now a new jury has found him guilty again on essentially the same charges.

Continue reading "Second Time's Not The Charm For Abramoff Pal" >

In a brief appearance -- 2 minutes and 59 seconds to be exact -- before assembled media in Chicago, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich insisted that he is "not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," that he will "fight every step of the way" and that he is not going to quit the job voters elected him to do.

He took no questions.

Blagojevich was arrested last week on federal corruption charges, based on taped conversations via wiretaps. High on the list of charges is that the governor was trying to sell the now-vacated Senate seat of Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Today's comments were the first public remarks Blagojevich made since the arrest. Here's what he said, according to my notes: "I'm here to tell you I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing ... I will fight every step of the way ... I will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath ... I'm not going to quit a job the people hired me to do ... a political lynch mob ... I'm dying to show how innocent I am ... I intend to answer every allegation in the appropriate forum, in a court of law ... I am absolutely certain I will be vindicated."

Then he quoted Rudyard Kipling.

And then he continued: "I have the personal knowledge I have done nothing wrong. ... I ask the people of Illinois to reserve judgment."

And with that, he wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

The Illinois Supreme Court has refused to rule on a challenge to the fitness of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The court rejected the challenge without comment.

The challenge had been brought by state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who argued that the governor — arrested last week on corruption charges — is no longer capable of running the state and thus should be removed from office. Much of the urgency rests with Blagojevich's power to appoint a Senate successor to Barack Obama.

It was that power — and Blagojevich's comments, caught on tape, that he was willing to sell the seat to the highest bidder — that is part of the vast corruption case against the governor.

Resignation. There is no sign at all that a resignation by the governor is imminent. In fact, by all appearances, he looks like he intends to fight not only the charges but any effort to remove him from office. Blagojevich said this morning, "I can't wait to begin to tell my side of the story. ... There's a time and place for everything. That day will soon be here and you might know more about that today, maybe no later than tomorrow." Stay tuned.

Impeachment. Meanwhile, the state Legislature has convened a 21-member panel to study the possibility of impeaching Blagojevich, something that has never happened to an Illinois governor. A House vote to impeach would be followed by a trial in the Senate.

Obama. Democrats want this over as quickly as possible; they squirm every time Obama is asked about the situation at press conferences, which happened both Monday and Tuesday. The issue with Obama is about the discussions anyone on his team — specifically, incoming Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel — may have had with Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. Obama has said that in deference to the inquiry undertaken by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, he will withhold comment on the matter. But the prez-elect has promised to release information next week.

Some conservative commentators are slowly losing their patience with Obama's answers, on this and other matters. Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard is quoted in today's Washington Post as saying of Obama, "The guy is strategically soporiferous. He's trying to be so boring that no one will notice that he has avoided taking a position on virtually every issue that we've seen arise over the past three months."

Special election. This was first raised by Sen. Dick Durbin (D), but Democrats have slowly been distancing themselves from that position. The Democratic-controlled Legislature seems to be putting that possibility on the back burner, if not eliminating it altogether, despite the arguments by many newspaper editorials and, less important, Illinois Republicans. Obviously, the GOP's best shot at the Senate seat would come via special election. An appointment, no matter who is eventually in charge of the state, will not go to a Republican. Asked about this yesterday at his news conference, Obama said simply that he'll leave the decision of a special election up to the Legislature.

Slander. A most egregious charge, this one coming from Janet Pickel of Pittsburgh. And it's not directed at anyone from Illinois.

I think your overwhelming interest of late in the Blagojevich scandal is because it is such a remarkable parallel to "Buttongate." I refer, of course, to your own "pin to win" extortion scheme. I had to read just two of your pre-election columns to find your oft-repeated, brazen request to your readers. From your column dated Oct. 1, 2008:

MEET THE CHALLENGERS: Back in 2006, we initiated this feature, in which we asked you to send in campaign buttons for candidates for the Senate, House and governor. Our end of the bargain — aside from satisfying Ken Rudin's button craze, which is bordering on the unhealthy — would be to feature the candidates in a "meet the challenger" section.

I find it interesting that you simultaneously boast of both your button addiction and your corruption while seeking to remove yourself from them. You attempt this by referring to yourself in the first person plural ("we initiated" and "our end of the bargain"), as though others were involved in your "end of the bargain" AND in the third person ("Ken Rudin's button craze"), as though you weren't even in the room when the request was being made. I'm not a lawyer, but doesn't referring to yourself in the plural elevate this to a conspiracy?

Here's the latest on the continuing saga of embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich:

Resignation. Well, if it comes, it's not happening Monday. That, according to his spokesman, Lucio Guerrero. Guerrero was apparently responding to a comment made by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on NBC's Meet the Press, in which she said, "We have heard that there is a possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement where he will step aside." Not so, said Guerrero: "I can confirm the no resignation."

Meanwhile, the Democratic-controlled state Legislature is expected to meet as early as Monday (tomorrow) to discuss ways to take the power of filling the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama away from the governor. If that happens, presumably the power would go to Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. But Madigan, as well as many others, say that the only way to restore confidence in government would be for the seat to be filled via a special election.

Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges that, among other things, he offered to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich, Madigan and Quinn are all Democrats.

The List. There have been widespread reports that Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the guy who succeeded Blagojevich in the House and who has been tapped to be Obama's chief of staff, has talked with the governor — pre-arrest, of course — to go over names of those who would be acceptable to Obama for Blago to appoint to the Senate.

The surprise, as per Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell, came on the aforementioned Meet the Press program earlier today. The "shocking thing" about the list, said Mitchell, is that it "didn't have Congressman Jesse Jackson's name on it."

That just kind of blew my mind. Jackson worked for — on the Obama campaign, he was always running around talking about how close he was to the Obama family, but his name wasn't on the list? I mean, people are going to start asking questions about that, too. So besides the congressman been worried about the taint, now he's worried about his relationship with the president-elect.

John Harris, the chief of staff to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) who was arrested along with the governor on Tuesday on corruption charges, has resigned.

Harris is accused of plotting with Blagojevich ways the governor could enrich himself, including a "pay to play" scheme to sell the rights to the Senate seat once occupied by Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Earlier today, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan petitioned the state Supreme Court to strip Blagojevich of his powers. She, like many Democrats, fears that an impeachment and trial in the Legislature could take weeks, if not longer. "I recognize that this is an extraordinary request, but these are extraordinary times," the AG said.

And the Chicago Tribune, citing unnamed sources, reports that Jonathan Jackson, brother of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., was a participant at a meeting where there was a discussion about raising $1 million for the governor in exchange for his appointing Congressman Jackson to the Senate seat. The congressman denies any involvement by his brother or himself in any such scheme.

One wonders how long this can continue.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has finally done what she has been hinting at: She's filed a motion with the state Supreme Court declaring that Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, is "unable to serve as governor due to disability and should not rightfully continue to hold that office."

Blagojevich is under relentless pressure, from Democrats in Illinois and nationally, to resign in the wake of his arrest Tuesday on corruption charges. The specter of governors being forced out is not an unusual occurrence — witness New York's Eliot Spitzer and New Jersey's Jim McGreevey in recent times — but a lot is at stake here. There is a vacant Senate seat. Illinois is under dire financial stress. Many Democrats in the state have their entire political futures in jeopardy because of whispers and rumor. And then there is the issue of the president-elect, who happens to hail from Illinois.

This is a situation Democrats want over, and fast. Barack Obama has been, and will continue to be, in the uncomfortable position of having to answer questions over and over — as was the case yesterday — regarding any conversations his team may or may not have had with the governor about the Senate seat. His incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel — Blago's successor in the House — is known to at least have some kind of a relationship with the governor. Were there discussions about the seat? No one has said a word so far, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

AG Madigan, while acknowledging that the state Legislature will meet in special session next week to take up impeachment, said such a process could take a long time, which would be untenable for the state.

There are hints that a resolution could come soon. But as with so much about this story, who knows what's going to happen? This morning, the governor prayed with several ministers at his Chicago home, telling them that he is innocent and expects to be vindicated.

Today, on NPR's All Things Considered, Pat Quinn, the Democratic lieutenant governor of Illinois, says he hasn't spoken to Rod Blagojevich, the Democratic governor of Illinois, since August of 2007.

Sounds like they're married.

But what is it with governors and their lieutenants? The problem is that many are elected together in what amounts to shotgun marriages. Sometimes they run together as a team, but sometimes they are separately nominated or even elected. And whether or not they start off as partners, they don't always end up that way.

That's certainly the case in Illinois. As it was, before the latest scandal broke, the feeling all along has been that it was the state attorney general, Lisa Madigan — not LG Quinn — who was planning to take on the governor in the 2010 Democratic primary. But the case of lieutenant governors hoping to move up by challenging their bosses in the primary are not completely unusual.

In 1980, Montana Gov. Tom Judge was defeated in the Democratic primary by his own LG — Ted Schwinden.

Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes challenged his fellow Democrat, Gov. Preston Smith, in the 1972 primary. Barnes finished two times better than Smith, but that wasn't good enough. Smith placed fourth in the primary and Barnes third — a primary won by Dolph Briscoe, who went on to win the governorship.

And one famous contest in which a lieutenant governor of one party ousted a governor of another came in Minnesota in 1962, when Karl Rolvaag (D) defeated Elmer Andersen (R) by 91 votes — an election that was eventually decided by the state Supreme Court.

According to the National Lieutenant Governors Association, govs and LGs run together as a team in 24 states: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin.

Of those states, seven nominate gov and LG candidates separately: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York and Wisconsin.

Eighteen states hold separate gov and LG elections: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Seven states have no lieutenant governors: Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In Tennessee, the speaker of the state Senate is also the lieutenant governor, but there is no election in Tennessee for LG. New Jersey will elect its first LG next year.

Here's the latest on the scandal involving Rod Blagojevich, the first Illinois governor to be accused of corruption since George Ryan:

Resignation: State officials, including leaders of the Legislature, are preparing to put in motion the mechanics that get Blagojevich out of office, one way or another. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, both Democrats, have demanded the governor's resignation. Michael Madigan, the powerful speaker of the House and Lisa's father (a longtime foe of Blagojevich), says he will begin the process of impeachment hearings as soon as next week. His counterpart in the upper body, state Senate President Emil Jones, says the same.

Everyone on the face of the Earth now knows how to pronounce it.

Lisa Madigan said on CNN today, "I am prepared to take action. ... I have the opportunity to go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare our governor is unable to serve and put in our lieutenant governor [Quinn] as acting governor."

The governor has given no indication he is contemplating quitting, but for all we know, a plea bargain that includes his resignation could be in the works.

Senate Appointment: Throughout all this, Blagojevich retains the power to name a successor to Barack Obama, who resigned his Senate seat last month. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on the governor not to do it, reminding him that the Senate might very well reject the appointment, which it has the power to do.

Special Election: First floated on Tuesday by Sen. Dick Durbin (D), this may be the subject of a special session of the Legislature next Monday — to remove the power of appointing a senator from the governor and put it in the hands of the voters. One thing a special election does is take away the certainty of Obama's successor being a Democrat. Voter revulsion to the current situation — not to mention a potential negative fallout to the Democrats who had been angling for the appointment — could benefit a Republican candidate. Congressman Mark Kirk, who survived the Obama juggernaut last month, winning a fifth term in his district in the northern suburbs of Chicago, is a likely candidate.

Perhaps for that reason alone, Quinn has hinted that his preference, should he become governor, is to make the appointment himself.

Those Democratic "Candidates": Certainly not good news for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., identified as "Senate Candidate 5" in secretly taped phone recordings of the governor — someone who was said to be willing to "pay to play." But Jackson, son of the civil rights leader and the national co-chair of the Obama campaign, insisted that neither he nor anyone associated with him offered the governor any financial incentive to appoint him to the Senate. "I did not initiate nor authorize anyone, at any time, to promise anything to Governor Blagojevich on my behalf. I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer or to propose a deal about the U.S. Senate seat." Jackson added that he was told by prosecutors that he is not a target of the investigation. He has also called on the governor to resign.

Other names bandied about as potential appointees to the Senate are three other members of Congress — Luis Gutierrez, Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis — as well as the aforementioned Senate President Emil Jones and state veterans affairs chief Tammy Duckworth. It is unclear how much any or all of them are now tainted as potential replacements.

Another name thought to be on the list is Lisa Madigan, but for a completely different reason: Madigan had long been thought to be weighing a primary challenge to Blagojevich in 2010, and so some were speculating that the gov might appoint her to the Senate to get her out of Springfield. That never seemed a realistic possibility to us.

Obama connection: The president-elect, who has already called on Blago to go, expanded on that at a news conference today. He said he never spoke to the governor about the appointment, and "I'm confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat." Some are wondering, though, if incoming presidential Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel — who won Blagojevich's House seat and if nothing else is thought to be on better speaking terms with the governor than Obama — had such conversations with him about the Senate vacancy.

Ryan's Song: The current ethics imbroglio surrounding Blagojevich may make life more difficult for his predecessor. That's the opinion of ex-Gov. Jim Thompson (R), who has been leading the effort to get President Bush to pardon George Ryan, the Republican who served one term as governor immediately prior to Blago. It's not clear whether Bush ever had the inkling to pardon Ryan, who was convicted of corruption in 2006 and is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term, but I suspect the likelihood has now evaporated.

On a day filled with eye-rolling and hand-wringing in the aftermath of the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges, one quote of his from Nov. 5 comes to mind. When asked if he would consider appointing himself to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, Blagojevich said he was "not interested."

Whew. That would have been something.

As it is, the governor still, after all this, retains the power to name Obama's successor. That's why the state Legislature is quickly talking about impeachment, and why Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is proposing that Illinois voters decide who it should be in a special election. And who in their right mind would accept an appointment from Blagojevich in the first place?

But back to the original, now wacko thought ... that Blagojevich might have appointed himself. That was the subject of a Junkie question last month submitted by Rob Rosenberg, a student at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. Shortly after the election, when we knew for sure that Obama's Senate seat would become vacant, Rob asked for examples of self-appointments in the past. The history is not promising.

Under arrest or not, governors who finagled getting themselves appointed to the Senate don't fare very well when they have to face the voters. With one exception, every governor who tried to win favor with the electorate has been defeated.

(For the record, these governors do not exactly appoint themselves; they resign as governor and have their successors name them to the Senate.)

The most recent example occurred in Minnesota, in 1977. After Sen. Walter Mondale (D) ascended to the vice presidency, Wendell Anderson (D) resigned as governor and had his successor, Lt. Gov. Rudy Perpich (D), appoint him to the Senate. At their first opportunity, in 1978, voters let Anderson know what they thought of his maneuver.

By the way, they're still calling that 1978 election the "Minnesota Massacre." Republican Rudy Boschwitz trounced Sen. Anderson in November. Gov. Perpich lost his bid for a full term to GOP Congressman Al Quie. And in the race for the other Senate seat — a special election necessitated by the death of Hubert Humphrey — the Democrats carved each other up in the primary and the seat went to Republican Dave Durenberger.

Of all the governors who had themselves appointed to the Senate, only one was able to win a subsequent election on his own. Kentucky Gov. Albert B. "Happy" Chandler (D), who came to the Senate in 1939, won in a special election in 1940 and again in 1942. (He resigned his seat in 1945 to become baseball commissioner.)

Here is a list of governors appointed to the Senate and the result of the succeeding election:

Montana, 1933 — Sen. Thomas Walsh (D) died. Gov. John Erickson (D) appointed self, lost 1934 primary.

Kentucky, 1939 — Sen. Marvel Logan (D) died. Gov. Happy Chandler (D) appointed self, won elections in 1940 and 1942.

Nevada, 1945 — Sen. James Scrugham (D) died. Gov. Edward Carville (D) appointed self, lost 1946 primary.

Idaho, 1945 — Sen. John Thomas (R) died. Gov. Charles Gossett (D) appointed self, lost 1946 primary.

Wyoming, 1960 — Sen.-elect Keith Thomson (R) died. Gov. John J. Hickey (D) appointed self, lost 1962 election.

New Mexico, 1962 — Sen. Dennis Chavez (D) died. Gov. Edwin Mechem (R) appointed self, lost 1964 election.

Oklahoma, 1963 — Sen. Robert Kerr (D) died. Gov. J. Howard Edmondson (D) appointed self, lost 1964 primary.

South Carolina, 1965 — Sen. Olin Johnston (D) died. Gov. Donald Russell (D) appointed self, lost 1966 primary.

Minnesota, 1977 — Sen. Walter Mondale (D) elected vice president. Gov. Wendell Anderson (D) appointed self, lost 1978 election.

I'm sitting here, having watched and listened to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald take questions from the media in Chicago about the government's case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and I'm not sure I've blinked throughout the entire news conference. The magnitude of the charges is astounding.

One question Fitzgerald wouldn't — and, in reality, couldn't — answer is what the state Legislature should do about Blagojevich's continuing power to name a Senate successor to Barack Obama. Even though the charges against the Democratic governor involve his alleged efforts to sell the seat to the highest bidder, Blagojevich is still the person with the authority to name the next senator — which is, if nothing else, beyond surreal.

Some Illinois Democrats want that possibility eliminated. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn called on Blagojevich not to resign but to "step aside" — in effect taking the Senate appointment power out of his hands.

State Comptroller Dan Hynes (D) went further. He described the charges as "perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of Illinois government and a stain that will not be easily removed," and he called for Blagojevich to resign. "Our government's ability to deal on a daily basis with the fiscal and economic crises we currently face demands leadership and integrity," Hynes said in a statement. "Our governor cannot provide either, and he needs to do what's right for the people of Illinois."

The Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White (D), agreed, calling it the "honorable thing."

And if he doesn't resign?

State Rep. Jack Franks (D) said that the next step would be impeachment hearings in the House. "I'm not going to let it drag on. I'm just not going to let that happen," Franks said. "I'll do everything in my power to bring a swift conclusion to this dark episode." He was echoed by House GOP leader Tom Cross.

And then there's the solution offered by Dick Durbin, who with Obama's resignation is the only U.S. senator from Illinois.

NPR Senate correspondent David Welna reports that Durbin is calling for a special election to fill the Obama seat.

Durbin is calling on the Illinois state Legislature to meet as soon as possible and pass legislation with a big, vetoproof bipartisan majority calling for a special election. He says some broadly backed consensus replacement might emerge whom Blagojevich could appoint, but he thinks the odds are against it. Durbin also pointed out that voters will already be going to the polls for a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

As the Democratic whip, it's in Durbin's interest to have Obama's replacement sworn in to the Senate as soon as possible — that is, if it's a Democrat. Right now the Democrats have 57 seats for sure come Jan. 6, and Durbin says his priority is to get to 58 by having a replacement chosen soon — by the voters of Illinois.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks to the media after visiting with workers occupying the Republic Windows and Doors factory on Dec. 8, 2008, in Chicago.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

 

Even taking into consideration the history of corruption in Illinois politics, this one is mind-boggling.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a 51-year-old Democrat serving his second term, was arrested this morning on a plethora of corruption charges, including one that accuses him of conspiring to sell the Senate seat recently vacated by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich has long been the subject of a federal corruption investigation, as reports have swirled about alleged kickbacks for companies attempting to do business with the state. Tony Rezko, a former Blagojevich and Obama campaign fundraiser, is awaiting sentencing after having been convicted of fraud charges. The governor's chief fundraiser, Christopher Kelly, stands trial next year on charges of obstructing the IRS.

Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, was also arrested this morning.

The charges laid out in the 76-page FBI affidavit are, in the words of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, "staggering": "The citizens of Illinois deserve public officials who act solely in the public's interest, without putting a price tag on government appointments, contracts and decisions." Fitzgerald's office released a statement laying out the charges, alleging that Blagojevich and Harris are "engaging in ongoing criminal activity":

— conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator;

— threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich;

— and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions — both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

Court-authorized wiretaps show that, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich discussed ways in which he and his wife, Patti, would be financially enriched, including outright "up front" payments, placing his wife on paid corporate boards, promises of campaign funds, and a potential Cabinet post or ambassadorship. The governor and his family were "financially" hurting, the wiretaps revealed. Said the gov: "I want to make money."

Yikes.

Not lost on anyone is that Blagojevich's predecessor as governor, George Ryan (R), is currently in prison, having steered state contracts to his allies while he was secretary of state and governor. Robert Grant, the special agent-in-charge of the FBI in Chicago, alluded to that. "Many, including myself," said Grant, "thought that the recent conviction of a former governor would usher in a new era of honesty and reform in Illinois politics. Clearly, the charges announced today reveal that the office of the governor has become nothing more than a vehicle for self-enrichment, unrestricted by party affiliation and taking Illinois politics to a new low."

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan speaks to the news media at the federal courthouse following a verdict of guilty on all counts in his corruption trial on April 17, 2006, in Chicago.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

 

OTHER ILLINOIS GOVERNORS: Ryan was convicted of corruption in 2006. His ethics woes forced him out of the 2002 campaign and led to Blagojevich's rise to the governorship — the first Democrat of Illinois to accomplish that since 1972, when Dan Walker was elected. Walker later went to prison himself on bank fraud and perjury charges. Another governor, Otto Kerner (D 1961-68), was convicted of bribery and tax evasion charges in 1973.

Former Illinois Gov. Dan Walker walks through the federal courthouse in Chicago on Aug. 5, 1987, after his indictment on charges of bank fraud, misapplication of bank funds and perjury were announced.

AP/Mark Elias

 

THE OBAMA SENATE SEAT: The obvious question is, what's next. Obama resigned from the Senate last month, and Blagojevich has said he will name a successor by the end of the year. It's pretty darn near impossible to imagine Blago having a say in who succeeds Obama.

But first, let's look at the potential candidates. As we wrote in the July 23 Political Junkie column,

A lot of variables face Blagojevich, whose popularity has fallen and whose relationship with many of his fellow Democrats is strained. The state has a history of having its senators coming from downstate or Chicago, but not both from the same geographic region. With Sen. Dick Durbin hailing from downstate, the betting is that an Obama successor would be a Chicagoan. Odds also favor the choice being either a member of the House or an African-American, and if the governor picked Danny Davis or Jesse Jackson Jr., all three criteria would be reached. Jackson seems far more ambitious than Davis, appears to have more advanced political smarts, and would probably be better prepared to run statewide in 2010. His admonishment/lecture of his famous dad, following the reverend's surgical suggestion regarding Obama that was caught on tape, probably helped his cause.

Other House members thought to be under consideration are Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, who is close to Blagojevich and who would be the state's first Latino senator, and Jan Schakowsky of Evanston, who like Jackson is an Obama national campaign co-chair. She might, however, be tarred by the ethics troubles of her husband, Bob Creamer, who went to prison for check kiting.

If Obama had a say, it might very well be Emil Jones Jr., the powerful state Senate president who is also from Chicago, African-American, and a Blago ally. Obama has given Jones much of the credit for his 2004 election to the U.S. Senate while he was still in the state Legislature. But sending Jones to Washington may be too great a loss for the governor, who needs him in Springfield. Plus, Jones will be 73 in October, so if he were appointed he might only be a caretaker, staying on until the 2010 election.

Other Blagojevich allies on the list: Tammy Duckworth, the state director of veterans affairs and Iraq war veteran who lost a 2006 bid to succeed retiring Rep. Henry Hyde (R) in Congress; and state Rep. Jay Hoffman, who carries the governor's water in the state Legislature.

Names also mentioned include three statewide elected officials, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, but they are even more unlikely to be selected.

Of course, if any of these potential candidates come up in the Blagojevich investigation, you can kiss their chances goodbye as well.

If Blagojevich is removed from office — and, remember, he has not been convicted of anything — his successor will be a fellow Democrat, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Officeholders under indictment have been known to hang on as long as they can. But with a Senate seat in the balance, Illinois Democrats may force Blagojevich's hand.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning on federal corruption charges, accused of trying to personally enrich himself and his wife in conspiring to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for favors. Blagojevich, a 51-year-old Democrat who has been under various ethics investigations over the years, was heard on a court-approved wiretap over the past month saying, "I want to make money."

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, "The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

More to come.