Posted on 12/18/2008 12:56:53 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A lawyer for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich told state lawmakers Thursday that the federal wiretaps at the heart of the pay-to-play allegations against his client were illegally obtained, and therefore should be kept out of any impeachment proceedings. The wiretaps are crucial to the federal charges filed against Blagojevich last week. Prosecutors say they caught the Democratic governor discussing efforts to auction off Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat and pressure a hospital executive for campaign donations.
Genson told the impeachment committee that it shouldn't consider any material from the wiretaps, saying the evidence was "illegally obtained."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The FBI has a long tradition of illegal wiretapping, going back at least to the 1960s and COINTELPRO. It’s much easier for them to get legal authority nowadays, but old habits may die hard.
Yes, here in California we have a simon-pure and remarkably effective, efficient and low-cost stae government.
I think you’re catching on.
I lived in Illinois until 20 years ago. I have two brothers and 7 counsins who are still there and what is happening is NOT out of the ordinary for the "Land of Lincoln".
Most of my relatives in Chicago simply joke about it as if it's expected.
Don't be surprised if Fitzgerald is left holding the bag on this one. WHY? Because if more corruption than the Daley machine can afford is in the offing they'll simply circle the wagons and bury the incident. It has been done MANY times in the past.
The crime family thing
I better stock extra popcorn, because I think Blago is going to squeal.
Last night, Victoria Toensing compared Fitz to Elliot Spitzer. She has very little respect for him. Thinks he’s a total grandstander.
Ayers did but the wiretaps are legal. Fitz is not dunb.
I’m not sure that technicality counts in the impeachment process. It might keep Blago out of jail, though, if this is anything more than a defense lawyer talking out of his Clymer.
Its like the movie “Liar, Liar” when Jim Carey loudly objects to the prosecution’s witness. The judge asks him why and he shouts “Because this is devastating to my client!!”
Who cares? There is no "exclusionary rule" in impeachments. The Illinois Constitution says:
ART IV, SECTION 14. IMPEACHMENT
The House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct legislative investigations to determine the existence of cause for impeachment and, by the vote of a majority of the members elected, to impeach Executive and Judicialofficers. Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. ... No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators elected.
Judgment shall not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to hold any public office of this State. An impeached officer, whether convicted or acquitted, shall be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.
A simple majority of the Illinois House of Representatives can impeach the Governor because they don't like the cut of his coat, and 2/3 of the Illinois State Senate can remove him for the same reason, if they agree that what the Governor has done is impeachable.
Impeachment is as close as you can get to a bill of attainder. With a bill of attainder, when Parliament believed someone needed killing, but they couldn't convict the person of a capital crime, they just passed a law sentancing him to death. The debate on the bill was the trial, and there was no appeal. If Parliament wanted you dead, you died.
Yes I know bills of attainder are not allowed in the country -- except in the very narrow sense of impeachment. The Illinois legislature decides what is impeachable, and upon conviction the political death sentance is imposed -- the removed official cannot hold another public office in the state.
Don’t overlook the obvious; the PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS elected this jerk. It’s their baby; let them handle it. Hell, if he serves 5-10, they’ll REALLY love him. The Marion Barry effect....
It doesn’t matter, the impeachment panel can look at anything it likes whether legal or illegally obtained. They could admit rumors, hearsay, add up all his bad hair days, it don’t matter.
This isn’t a court of law, its a committee.
JB
He's gonna try...
It looks like Blags wiretapping is admissable federally but not in the state of Ill.
Federal wiretapping evidence admissible though barred by state law: evidence gathered in a joint federal-state investigation is admissible in state court if it complies with federal, though not state, eavesdropping law.
The Illinois Supreme Court has affirmed a 30-year line of appellate court decisions holding that evidence obtained in compliance with federal wiretapping law is not inadmissible in a state prosecution, even though Illinois's own eavesdropping law would prohibit it. The case is People v Coleman, 2008 WL 351682.
And conspiracy to commit murder is okay if you never complete the murder?
same excuse used by another paid-for Democrat named William Jefferson. D-LA used.
In each case, they plead there was no crime committed as info was not legally obtainable.
The Dems are consistent on this. Blago will use any excuse to not fess up.
That is in fact why Bill "guilty as hell and free as a bird" Ayers is walking around today.
Remember when we were kids and we wanted to irritate the behaysoos (bejesus) out of our parents? We’d get a baloon, blow it up and pinch out the air...it squealed to our delight and M&D would shout, “Stop that!”
That is exactly what I see Blago doing; small escapes of “flatulence”. Just enough to make Opossum try to clamp down on him.
Popcorn futures are trending up!
Weak sauce. A terrible opening move. Gov. Zod is stalling until Barry’s knees shake.
He said as long as Obama can fix things, he cares not how corrupt he is.
Funny isn't it, how they seem so hell bent on purity and fidelity when a republican is in question.... the democrat party has no rules, ends justify the means.
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