Shamed Illinois Governor Blagojevich Ousted with Unanimous Vote
After many long weeks, the inevitable has occurred and Governor Rod Blagojevich is now, officially, the former governor of Illinois after a 59-0 impeachment vote.
Governor Rod Blagojevich or, rather, former Governor Blagojevich, was ousted from office yesterday after an almost two-month ordeal that began when he was arrested for allegedly trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. Not a single lawmaker voted in favor of Blagojevich and he became the first U.S. governor in over 20 years to be removed from office via impeachment.
After a trial that lasted for four days, the Illinois Senate voted unanimously, 59-0, to convict him of abuse of power. Blagojevich, a Democrat serving his second term, was also barred from holding public office in Illinois in the future. Said Senator Matt Murphy, a Republican from suburban Chicago, "He failed the test of character. He is beneath the dignity of the state of Illinois. He is no longer worthy to be our governor." Democratic Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn will be sworn in as the new governor of Illinois to replace Blagojevich.
While Blagojevich refused to attend the first three days of the trial, calling the proceedings a "kangaroo court," he did appear before the Senate on the final day of the trial to essentially beg for his job. He was defiant even then, offering a 47-minute plea to keep his job and contending again that he had done nothing wrong. Said Blagojevich, "You haven't proved a crime, and you can't because it didn't happen. How can you throw a governor out of office with insufficient and incomplete evidence?" Despite his pleas, Blagojevich's critics often used harsh language and even mocked him. Democratic Senator James Meeks, of Chicago, said during the proceedings, "We have this thing called impeachment and it's bleeping golden and we've used it the right way." The "bleeping" was a direct shot at the disgraced governor, who was overheard on wiretaps using extremely profane language.
After a trial that lasted for four days, the Illinois Senate voted unanimously, 59-0, to convict him of abuse of power. Blagojevich, a Democrat serving his second term, was also barred from holding public office in Illinois in the future. Said Senator Matt Murphy, a Republican from suburban Chicago, "He failed the test of character. He is beneath the dignity of the state of Illinois. He is no longer worthy to be our governor." Democratic Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn will be sworn in as the new governor of Illinois to replace Blagojevich.
While Blagojevich refused to attend the first three days of the trial, calling the proceedings a "kangaroo court," he did appear before the Senate on the final day of the trial to essentially beg for his job. He was defiant even then, offering a 47-minute plea to keep his job and contending again that he had done nothing wrong. Said Blagojevich, "You haven't proved a crime, and you can't because it didn't happen. How can you throw a governor out of office with insufficient and incomplete evidence?" Despite his pleas, Blagojevich's critics often used harsh language and even mocked him. Democratic Senator James Meeks, of Chicago, said during the proceedings, "We have this thing called impeachment and it's bleeping golden and we've used it the right way." The "bleeping" was a direct shot at the disgraced governor, who was overheard on wiretaps using extremely profane language.
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