Burris is Screwed
By Kevin Robinson in News on Feb 18, 2009 3:20PM
The Lord's Senator Roland Burris spoke to the press Monday night in Peoria, and what an event it was. In a nutshell, he says he told Rod Blagojevich's brother Rob that he would raise money for him, asked some people to help out, found out nobody was interested, and then told the brothers Blago that he couldn't do it, since he was seeking the senate seat himself. "So sometime shortly after Obama was elected, the brother called and I had talked to some people about trying to see if we could put a fundraiser on," Burris said. But the Chicago Public Radio Blog brings us the best bit of his statements, adding "He started talking…and talking…and talking…and talking…then contradicting…then back to talking about his involvement. The clip that the newspapers pulled doesn’t give it justice. This gives it justice."
Meanwhile, Burris claims he will cooperate fully with any investigation and claims no wrong-doing, saying, "I have made an effort to be as transparent as I can and I'm willing to take a further step as I have nothing to hide. I welcome the opportunity to go before any and all investigating bodies, including those referred by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee, to answer any questions they have." That's good because the U.S. Senate committee is doing just that as an inquiry has been opened as to whether or not Burris perjured himself. Hmmm. A government official saying he has nothing to hide and welcomes an investigation, which results in a committee exploring the charges. Where have we heard that before?
Tom Geoghegan, who is running to replace Rahm Emanuel in the Fifth Congressional District, issued a statement on his opinion of the Burris-Blago controversy: "In January, I wrote a piece published in the New York Times about the need to hold a special election to replace not just Barack Obama, but all Senate seats that are vacated. I didn't write this for political expediency, but to point out that this was a century-old constitutional reform made to take power away from large, monied special interests. We don't need a new amendment. We just need to follow the one that's there: the 17th Amendment."
In case you're curious, The Trib has the Complete Series of Burris for your perusal: his January 5 affidavit, his January 8 testimony, and his February 5 affidavit.
WBEZ's blog also has this letter allegedly sent from Cook County Clerk David Orr to Sen. Burris asking the senator to resign, a sentiment echoed this morning by the Trib.
Additional reporting by Marcus Gilmer
Awesome painting by the awesome Lauri Apple