Illinois panel vote advances impeachment

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A state legislative committee voted unanimously yesterday to recommend that the Illinois House impeach Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on allegations that he abused his powers and sold his office to enrich himself.

Minutes after the 21-0 vote, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan predicted that the full House would impeach the governor as soon as today. Such a vote - the first such action in state history - would send articles of impeachment to the Illinois Senate, which would then hold a trial on whether to remove him from office.

A Blagojevich spokesman said the two-term Democrat, who has denied wrongdoing, would not heed some lawmakers' calls to resign before the full House votes. The spokesman said the governor was working in his Chicago office at the time of the vote but was not monitoring the impeachment panel hearing.

Blagojevich's press office put out a statement saying the panel's vote was not a surprise and predicting a "different" outcome in the Senate.

"The governor believes that the impeachment proceedings were flawed, biased and did not follow the rules of law," the statement said.

Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D., Chicago), who chaired the impeachment panel, said, "This is a very sad day in the state of Illinois." She called Blagojevich "an individual who is not fit to be the governor of the state of Illinois."

The committee based its vote on a lengthy report detailing a litany of Blagojevich's alleged abuses of power. It includes his expanding health care without legislative approval, spending state money on useless flu vaccines, refusing to release federal subpoenas and other government information to the public, widespread hiring abuses, and pay-to-play activities in which big contributors often wound up with hefty state contracts.

It also restates the federal charges against Blagojevich, including the allegation that he sought to peddle the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for a cabinet post, an ambassadorship, or a high-paying private job for himself or his wife.

Committee members noted that the governor refused to appear before them to rebut any of the allegations involving his conduct or the federal criminal charges.

The vote came after former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, whom Blagojevich picked Dec. 30 to succeed Obama, testified under oath for more than an hour. Committee members asked how Blagojevich had come to appoint him and Burris said there was no quid pro quo involved.

"There was nothing . . . legal, personal or political exchanged for my appointment to this seat," Burris testified.

After his testimony, he told reporters: "I feel I passed the test with flying colors. I have nothing to hide."

Under questioning by the panel, Burris said he had approached lobbyist Lon Monk, Blagojevich's former chief of staff, in July or September to talk about lobbying business and to mention his interest in the Senate seat should Obama win the presidency.

Asked later if he felt odd doing so, given that Monk had been part of an administration under investigation, Burris replied no. He said he had "no idea" if Monk passed on his Senate desire to Blagojevich.

Burris continues to try to persuade U.S. Senate Democratic leaders to seat him, but they offered a noncommittal response after his testimony yesterday.

"Now that Mr. Burris has testified, we will review his testimony and discuss how to move forward," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.). He declined to offer any appraisal of Burris' performance.

During his testimony, Burris brushed aside questions about whether Blagojevich should resign.

Also yesterday, Blagojevich's defense attorneys urged U.S. District Chief Judge James F. Holderman to throw U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald and all his assistants off the case, contending that Fitzgerald violated rules about pretrial publicity at a Dec. 9 news conference announcing the charges against the governor. Federal prosecutors called the effort "meritless."