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| Home Front: Politix |
| Illinois senate opens impeachment trial of Governor Blagojevich |
| 2009-01-27 |
| (Xinhua) -- The Illinois Senate in Springfield, the state capital city, opened on Monday its historic impeachment trial of an absent Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was accused of corruption but insisted that the impeachment is unfair. Illinois senators were summoned to their seats to serve as judge and jury in determining whether Blagojevich, the two-term Democratic governor, had violated his oath of office for allegedly trying to profit from his office and abusing his powers. The impeached governor is hundreds of miles away from Springfield, doing the New York circuit of TV news and talk shows to win public sympathy and make the case that he is the victim of a political hanging. Major U.S. televisions including NBC, ABC and CNN have all touted Blagojevich appearances. "This is a solemn and serious business we are about to engage in," Illinois Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald told the senators in opening the trial. The trial will determine whether Blagojevich shall be removed as governor and barred from ever again holding office in Illinois. A two thirds majority of the Senate could convict him at trial and throw him out of office. No Illinois governor has ever been impeached or ousted. Blagojevich was arrested on Dec. 9, accused of scheming to benefit from his power to name President Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate. The Illinois senate declared impeachment of Blagojevich on Jan. 9 on additional charges of circumventing hiring laws and defying decisions by the General Assembly. |
| Posted by:Fred |