As Ill. Works To Impeach Gov., Burris Heads To D.C.

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From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I'm Michele Norris. Now to the drama in Illinois over Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. A federal judge is giving prosecutors three more months to obtain a grand jury indictment against the governor. The same judge is giving defense attorneys for Blagojevich three days to decide how they feel about tapes of their client being played in impeachment hearings. Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested last month on charges of corruption. Members of the Illinois General Assembly could vote later this week to impeach the governor. Meanwhile, Roland Burris, the man Blagojevich defiantly appointed to the Senate, headed to Washington today. NPR's David Schaper reports on this complicated situation in Chicago and beyond.

DAVID SCHAPER: A crowd of reporters, onlookers, and a few supporters surrounded former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris at Chicago's Midway Airport this afternoon as he prepared to board a flight to Washington, D.C. Burris says he intends to go to the Capitol building tomorrow and begin serving as Illinois' junior U.S. senator.

Mr. ROLAND BURRIS (Democrat, Illinois Senator-Designate): Well, I'm hoping and praying that I will be seated.

SCHAPER: But when he gets there, all indications are Burris will be turned away. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid says the U.S. Senate won't seat anyone appointed by Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich who is facing an array of corruption charges. Chief among them is that Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell or trade the Senate seat for campaign contributions, a Cabinet appointment, or a high-paying job for himself or his wife. Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing and is fighting the charges. But prosecutors say Blagojevich is caught on surveillance tapes, calling the Senate seat "golden" and vowing to get something in return.

Illinois lawmakers would like to play excerpts from some of those tapes when hearings resume tomorrow before a special Illinois House committee investigating whether the governor should be impeached. A federal judge today ruled Blagojevich's attorneys can review those recordings and must decide by Thursday if they plan to file a motion to suppress the tapes. Chicago State Representative John Fritchey says the Impeachment Committee is ready to go forward, one way or the other.

Assemblyman JOHN FRITCHEY (Democrat, Chicago, Illinois): The committee is not prepared at this juncture to delay our work any longer. Should we get the tapes immediately, we will incorporate them. Should the judge say that we will not have the access to those, we'll proceed with our job as we have been.

SCHAPER: That means meeting again tomorrow to begin putting the final touches on a committee report that will likely recommend impeaching Governor Blagojevich. The full Illinois House has been called back into a special session later this week and could vote to impeach by Friday. Representative Fritchey says Illinois is facing a budget deficit in the billions. It can't pay vendors like hospitals, day care providers, and social service providers on time, and several other issues hang in the balance.

Assemblyman FRITCHEY: I think having Governor Blagojevich in office has been somewhat of an impediment for quite a while now. Given the existing circumstances, he's taken the government in gridlock and brought it to a complete standstill. I believe that in order for us to move forward in the manner that we need to and the speed that we need to, we need to change the executive office.

SCHAPER: If the Illinois House votes to impeach this week, the proceedings would move to the Illinois Senate for a trial. Some suggest the Senate could conduct its trial in just two weeks, but Loyola University political scientist Alan Gitelson suggests that scenario is unlikely.

Dr. ALAN GITELSON (Professor of Political Science, Loyola University): I think between legal charges and challenges by Governor Blagojevich certainly to the state Supreme Court and very likely to the U.S. Supreme Court, Illinois is still going to be stuck with this dilemma - the dilemma of a sitting governor who is tainted - for some time to come.

SCHAPER: And federal prosecutors now have more time to assemble their corruption case against the governor. A federal judge granted the prosecution's request for a three-month extension for a grand jury to indict the governor. That grand jury was set to expire this Wednesday, but now has until April Seventh. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

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