Posted on 12/30/2008 11:49:22 AM PST by BAW
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said in a statement this afternoon that the Senate will not seat anyone Gov. Rod Blagojevich chooses to fill Illinois' vacant Senate post, amid word that the governor is set to name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris.
The statement also is signed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has repeatedly urged Blagojevich not to name a replacement for the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. The statement specifically names Burris, but applies to any choice the governor might make.
"This is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat," the statement read. "Anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus."
The decision was made during a 10-minute conference call that included Reid, Durbin and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), as well as representatives of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). There was little discussion and no dissent in reaching the position, said a Senate aide.
"The goal was to get this statement out before Blagojevich made his announcement," the Senate source said.
Blagojevich, who has sole authority to name a replacement senator, scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference at his downtown Chicago office.
Burris left his downtown consulting office about 1:15 p.m., getting congratulatory hugs from several employees. But Burris refused comment when asked whether he was going to accept the appointment after word that Senate Democratic leadership would not seat him.
Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.
Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama's replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he's never lost to a Republican.
Blagojevich's criminal defense attorney Ed Genson had said Blagojevich would not name a Senate successor to Obama. The governor had indicated he agreed with other Illinois politicians that the best option might be a special election to fill Obama's seat. But state lawmakers have not taken up the necessary legislation.
Burris has given more than $20,000 to Blagojevich's campaign fund on his own and through his consulting and law firms, state campaign finance records show. Burris' consulting company received about $290,000 in state contracts with the Illinois Department of Transportation a few years ago, according to state comptroller records.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada previously warned Blagojevich, following the governor's Dec. 9 arrest, that Senate Democrats would not seat any appointment the two-term Democratic governor made. Reid's warning was contained in a letter signed by all 50 sitting Democratic senators, including the No. 2 Democrat in Senate leadership, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Federal authorities, citing secret wiretap recordings, allege Blagojevich sought a Cabinet position, an ambassadorship or a high-paying job from the incoming Obama administration in exchange for naming a candidate favored by the president-elect to the vacancy. An internal report by the Obama transition team found no offers of any quid pro quo in conversations held by incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Blagojevich and the governor's staff regarding the seat.
Burris became the first African-American to win statewide office in 1978, when he won the first of his three terms as comptroller. But Burris repeatedly stalled in his quest for bigger political office. He failed in three consecutive runs for governor--1994, 1998 and 2002, when he ran against Blagojevich--in the Democratic primaries.
Burris, an attorney in private practice, could not be reached for comment at his home today.
A special state House committee is weighing whether to recommend impeaching Blagojevich, and a leading member of the panel today called the news "incredibly ill-advised."
Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said he believed his colleagues on the panel "will take the position that the timing is so wrong as to put a cloud over the appointment."
"It certainly wouldn't be a legal cloud," Lang said. "It would be more of a political cloud."
Rep. Jim Durkin, the Republican spokesman on the impeachment panel, said he is drafting a letter to Burris calling for him to reject the appointment.
"I think the governor can do what he wants, but I think that Roland Burris should not accept it," Durkin said. "He left government under a good standing, and this is not a way to re-enter it. If he does accept it, I will take any means necessary to have him testify before the special (impeachment) committee."
Durkin, citing the federal probe into Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell the Senate seat, said the matter is at the heart of the impeachment investigation and the federal criminal charges against the governor. Durkin said he wants to know when Burris talked to the governor or any of his aides about the Senate appointment, what was discussed and what, if any, material was submitted.
"If he does accept this," Durkin said, "I want to know the circumstances on which his name rose to the top in the last 24 hours."
Durkin said he knew of nothing that Burris had done improper, noting "he's a good and decent man."
This is a Fire Sale. The cost of the Senate seat seems to have dropped to $20,000 already paid.
News conference in 20 minutes.
Mods: Please place this in Breaking News.
Depending on the thinking of the local voters, that could backfire on the Senate and cause this person to be elected to that office. LOL...
Actually, that may be the plan...
This is going to get good.
Wow, can he really do that? This is heating up to be quite the fight. Until Blago is impeached, he has the authority, right?
I read elsewhere that Reid and the Senate can’t refuse to seat the appointee. They can only expel on a 2/3 vote. If true, this will be even more fun...
Don’t seat the black guy!!!
This should be fun for a while.
Does this now qualify for a “that’s racist” photo and caption?
Reid’s just being racist.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D95D7M180&show_article=1
The last time the Senate refused to seat a member was in 1947, when Mississippi Democrat Theodore Bilbo was accused of corruption and bribery, according to Don Ritchie, associate Senate historian.
Give 20 grand, get 290 grand.
What a system we got here in the Peoples Republik of IL.
L
McConnell should ask for him to caucus with the GOP.....
There was one in the 70s to.
Why shouldn’t he be seated. He’ll fit right in with the rest of those thugs and crooks.
Reid’s gone a bridge too far on this one, especially if Obama should happen to express support for Burris.
Can you say internecine warfare? Knew you could.
Until Blago is impeached, he has the authority, right?
Found guilty in the court of public opinion....
So how does the Senators get a say? You know it’s not like it’s a club of insiders, it is supposed to be an election with State rules on how to handle other things that comes up.
Reid’s 30% approval in Nevada needs some tough guy talk to help pump up.
Not sure how to do that . . . maybe the online reports AFTER the Blago conference can go there instead.
So much for a slow news week!
Somebody is paying for Blago’s VERY expensive mob lawyer. Blago isn’t. He stiffed his last one.
This is ONE time the GOP should stay clear of any involvement and let Reid and Co. navigate these waters alone!
If he is not seated then the GOP can point out the rejection to BLACKS and if he is seated they can point to the seat as being illegitimate.
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