U.S. federal investigators have charged the governor of the central state of Illinois with trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for personal gain
- From: Chim <ChimS1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 11:02:51 -0800 (PST)
Illinois Governor Arrested, Charged with Corruption
By VOA News
09 December 2008
U.S. federal investigators have charged the governor of the central
state of Illinois with trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by
President-elect Barack Obama for personal gain.
Investigators arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief
of staff, John Harris, Tuesday. Prosecutors say they started
investigating the governor for corruption three years ago.
A statement from the U.S. Department of Justice says Blagojevich
recently tried to get high-paying jobs, money or campaign
contributions for him or his wife in exchange for the appointment to
the Senate.
President-elect Obama resigned from his Senate seat following his
victory in the U.S. presidential election. In Illinois, the governor
is responsible for naming a successor.
The Justice Department also accuses Blagojevich, a Democrat, of
soliciting bribes and threatening to withhold state aid to a newspaper
company, the Tribune Company, unless writers critical of the governor
were fired.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald calls the extent of the charges
"staggering."
Blagojevich is expected to appear before a judge later Tuesday.
On Monday, Blagojevich spoke about reports that investigators had
taped his conversations as part of their probe.
Blagojevich said his conversations were "always lawful." He also
defended a confidant, John Wyma, who reportedly cooperated with
investigators.
Blagojevich succeeded former Illinois Governor George Ryan, a
Republican, who is serving a six-year prison sentence on corruption
charges, stemming from his activities as governor and Illinois
secretary of state.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
.
Relevant Pages
- Re: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody
... Blagojevich is slated to appear before U.S. ... Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune ... financial benefits for the governor and his wife. ... Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded ...
(alt.true-crime) - Re: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody
... Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., ... Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co. ... Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. ... early morning visit by authorities to the governor's North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics. ...
(alt.true-crime) - Re: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody
... Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., ... Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co. ... Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. ... early morning visit by authorities to the governor's North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics. ...
(alt.true-crime) - Re: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody
... Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., ... Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co. ... Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. ... early morning visit by authorities to the governor's North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics. ...
(alt.true-crime) - Re: Tho^ng ddo^c De^ Moc Rac cu?a TB Illinois bi. tom!
... As the corruption trial of the political fund-raiser Antoin Rezko ... levels of state government has battered the career of an Illinois ... Rod R. Blagojevich, ... Blagojevich, 57, even as the governor has denied any criminal ...
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