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Blagojevich: Senate impeachment trial unfair
Christopher Wills The Associated Press
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: News
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - On the verge of being tossed out of office, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday branded his upcoming impeachment trial "a sham" that won't provide a fair chance to defend himself.
"What the Senate and the House and Legislature is trying to do is to thwart the will of the people and remove a governor elected twice by the people without a fair hearing," the governor said outside his Chicago home.
The two-term Democrat is accused of abusing his power by scheming to benefit from appointing a person to fill President Barack Obama's Senate seat, circumventing hiring laws and defying General Assembly decisions.
He was impeached by the state House on Jan. 9, and his trial in the state Senate is set to begin Monday. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Blagojevich have said the Senate impeachment trial is certain to convict the governor and remove him from office. They say they won't take part in the proceedings. On Wednesday, Blagojevich skipped a deadline to tell the Senate which people and documents he wanted to subpoena for the trial to remove him from office.
"The impeachment trial is a sham," Blagojevich said Thursday.
"You can't possibly defend yourself when they say you did something and they don't let you call witnesses to say you didn't do it," Blagojevich added later in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, Rikeesha Phelon, noted the governor's decision not to respond and dismissed his criticism of the trial as "an unfortunate sideshow."
Blagojevich was arrested last month by federal agents. Federal prosecutors have asked the Senate trial's prosecution and defense not to call witnesses who will be involved in Blagojevich's eventual criminal trial.
The attorney presenting the impeachment case, David Ellis, has agreed not to call anyone who might jeopardize the criminal case. Instead, he has proposed 13 witnesses, most of them House members, who have little or no firsthand knowledge of the accusations against the governor. Ellis' motion says the lawmakers will recap the findings of the House committee that recommended impeaching Blagojevich.
Ellis did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.
Ellis asked the Senate to let him call an FBI agent familiar with the wiretaps of Blagojevich conversations that led to his arrest last month. But Ellis said he would drop that witness from his list if U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald objects.
The Senate must approve any witnesses called, and Blagojevich says the rules mean he can't call the witnesses he wants, such as Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel has said he never got the impression Blagojevich wanted anything improper in return for naming a Senate replacement.
Last week, defense attorney Edward M. Genson pulled out of earlier arrangements to represent Blagojevich at the impeachment trial. Two other members of the governor's defense team, attorneys Sam Adam and his son, Samuel E. Adam, also withdrew, comparing the proceedings to a "lynching."
Genson did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday
"What the Senate and the House and Legislature is trying to do is to thwart the will of the people and remove a governor elected twice by the people without a fair hearing," the governor said outside his Chicago home.
The two-term Democrat is accused of abusing his power by scheming to benefit from appointing a person to fill President Barack Obama's Senate seat, circumventing hiring laws and defying General Assembly decisions.
He was impeached by the state House on Jan. 9, and his trial in the state Senate is set to begin Monday. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Blagojevich have said the Senate impeachment trial is certain to convict the governor and remove him from office. They say they won't take part in the proceedings. On Wednesday, Blagojevich skipped a deadline to tell the Senate which people and documents he wanted to subpoena for the trial to remove him from office.
"The impeachment trial is a sham," Blagojevich said Thursday.
"You can't possibly defend yourself when they say you did something and they don't let you call witnesses to say you didn't do it," Blagojevich added later in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, Rikeesha Phelon, noted the governor's decision not to respond and dismissed his criticism of the trial as "an unfortunate sideshow."
Blagojevich was arrested last month by federal agents. Federal prosecutors have asked the Senate trial's prosecution and defense not to call witnesses who will be involved in Blagojevich's eventual criminal trial.
The attorney presenting the impeachment case, David Ellis, has agreed not to call anyone who might jeopardize the criminal case. Instead, he has proposed 13 witnesses, most of them House members, who have little or no firsthand knowledge of the accusations against the governor. Ellis' motion says the lawmakers will recap the findings of the House committee that recommended impeaching Blagojevich.
Ellis did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.
Ellis asked the Senate to let him call an FBI agent familiar with the wiretaps of Blagojevich conversations that led to his arrest last month. But Ellis said he would drop that witness from his list if U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald objects.
The Senate must approve any witnesses called, and Blagojevich says the rules mean he can't call the witnesses he wants, such as Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel has said he never got the impression Blagojevich wanted anything improper in return for naming a Senate replacement.
Last week, defense attorney Edward M. Genson pulled out of earlier arrangements to represent Blagojevich at the impeachment trial. Two other members of the governor's defense team, attorneys Sam Adam and his son, Samuel E. Adam, also withdrew, comparing the proceedings to a "lynching."
Genson did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday
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