Executive Branch
Gov. Blagojevich Impeached, Will Be Tried in State Senate
Posted Jan 9, 2009, 11:41 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, requiring a Senate trial on whether he should remain in office.
The House voted 114-1 for impeachment, the Chicago Tribune reports. Only 60 votes were needed, according to the Associated Press.
Blagojevich was out jogging during the impeachment vote, the Associated Press reports in a separate story.
The only legislator voting against impeachment was Chicago Democrat Milton Patterson, who said he was uncomfortable casting a yes vote because he has "no firsthand knowledge of any of the evidence," reports 12KFVS Heartland News.
The vote follows a draft report recommending impeachment for the governor, a defendant in a federal corruption case that claims he tried to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. The report said Blagojevich cannot govern effectively and noted he has refused to appear to rebut the criminal allegations.
The report said Blagojevich's refusal to testify under the Fifth Amendment can be held against him in an impeachment inquiry. "His silence in this great matter is deafening," said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
Blagojevich has denied the criminal charges. His spokesman told the Tribune that Blagojevich would not resign.
Federal prosecutors have also accused Blagojevich of offering millions of dollars in aid to the Chicago Tribune if it fired critical editorial writers and attempting to obtain financial benefits in exchange for appointments to state jobs, boards and commissions.
Updated several times to add more detail.
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