Ill. Gov: I'm Not Guilty, 'Will Fight Until I Take My Last Breath'
Responding for the first time to federal corruption charges that could result in his impeachment and have already led to widespread calls for his resignation, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said at a press conference today that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing and “will fight until I take my last breath,” reports CNN.
Blagojevich didn’t address any specifics of the case against him, in which he is accused of having attempted to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat for personal gain. However, he said he is eager to do so, at the proper time and in the proper forum, and urged listeners to reserve judgment until they know the full story, the news agency writes.
“I’m not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing, and that is talk about this case in 30-second sound bites on Meet the Press or on the TV news,” the governor said. “I have on my side the most powerful ally there is, and it is the truth.”
Additional coverage:
New York Times: “Blagojevich Denies Any Criminal Wrongdoing”
Updated at 3:16 p.m. to include link to New York Times coverage.
