Spring Break
Ill. impeachment trial proceeds without governor
Associated Press
Issue date: 1/26/09 Section: News
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Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald asked whether Blagojevich was present and a long silence followed. The chief justice, who is presiding over the trial, ordered the proceedings to begin as if Blagojevich had entered a plea of not guilty.
"This is a solemn and serious business we're about to engage in," Fitzgerald told the Senate chambers.
Blagojevich, meanwhile, was hundreds of miles away in New York, where he hit the morning show circuit, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" and "The View" before a scheduled appearance on "Larry King Live."
"I'm here in New York because I can't get a fair hearing in Illinois, the state Senate in Illinois," Blagojevich said in between appearances. "They've decided, with rules that are fixed, that don't allow me as a governor the right to be able to bring in witnesses to prove that I've done nothing wrong."
No Illinois governor has even been impeached or removed from office. Senators promised to be fair.
"We will make a decision, and it will be thoughtful, deliberative and fair," Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, a Republican, said as the trial opened. "The voters of Illinois have asked for nothing more and they deserve nothing less."
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9, accused of scheming to benefit from his power to name President Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate. He was impeached by the House earlier this month on additional charges of circumventing hiring laws and defying decisions by the General Assembly. A two-thirds majority of the Senate could convict him at trial and throw him out of office.
While refusing to attend the trial, Blagojevich made clear he would only defend himself through a media blitz.
"I'm talking to Americans to let them know what's happening in the land of Lincoln," he said on ABC. "If they can do it to a governor, they can do it to you."
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