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The Illinois Legislature Turned to Impeachment After Years at Loggerheads with the Defiant Governor

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The Illinois Legislature Turned to Impeachment After Years at Loggerheads with the Defiant Governor Bringing Down Blagojevich The Illinois legislature turned to impeachment after years at loggerheads with the defiant governor. BY JOHN PATTERSON campaign contribution from a children’s tive orders and brushing off accusations of hospital executive in return for state funding, corruption, Blagojevich was able to avoid hen federal agents showed up at and even trying to force the firing of Chicago serious consequences until the political land- the front door of Governor Rod Tribune writers. scape changed. Blagojevich’s Chicago bungalow But in Illinois, the political and legal clashes “There were certainly many lawmakers to arrest him on conspiracy charges surrounding Blagojevich’s tenure had taken who felt the governor abused and misused Wearly one morning last December, they on a life of their own. They offer insights his executive authority,” says Representative handed Illinois lawmakers the excuse they’d into the Capitol climate and the perspective Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat long sought to launch an impeachment inves- of lawmakers as they launched the first-ever and chairwoman of the impeachment inves- tigation. impeachment of an Illinois governor. tigation committee. “But I don’t think for “It was the final straw that broke the cam- The impeachment might have come ear- most lawmakers those charges, those com- el’s back. Once that happened,” says Illinois lier but for the governor’s astute maneuver- Senator Terry Link, a Democrat from the ing through the political infighting of Illinois Right, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich suburbs north of Chicago, “it was very easy politics. Despite ignoring the findings of leaves federal court in April. for us to do what we did.” auditors, refusing to abide by administra- ASSOCIATED PRESS/M. SPENCER GREEN For most of the country, the governor’s high-profile arrest might have been the first they heard of his troubles. The charges REPRESENTATIVE included trying to pad his campaign fund SENATOR BARBARA FLYNN by attempting to sell off President Barack TERRY LINK Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, demanding a CURRIE ILLINOIS ILLINOIS John Patterson covers the Illinois legislature for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago. 38 STATE LEGISLATURES JULY/AUGUST 2009 Bringing Down Blagojevich JULY/AUGUST 2009 STATE LEGISLATURES 39 illegal gambling debt with business income “The phone calls I was getting, the e-mails I and was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Meanwhile there were growing questions was getting, the messages I was getting in my about Blagojevich’s wife’s real estate com- missions and exactly why his 7-year-old district were all: ‘Get it done. Throw him out.’ daughter got a $1,500 birthday check from the governor’s former campaign treasurer There was very much a lynch mob mentality. only days before the former treasurer’s wife got a state job. Even the governor acknowl- —BARBARA FLYNN CURRIE edged being brought in for questioning by federal agents. Why wasn’t he impeached sooner? plaints, those issues had risen to the level of cines from Europe when a flu scare emerged “Those were issues that were out there impeachment.” went awry because he never got federal per- and were of major concern to many lawmak- mission to import the shots. Illinois taxpayers ers, but were not, I think, the kinds of issues THE CONSTANT CONTRARIAN couuld end up eating the $2.6 million price that attracted a lot of public discussion and Over the course of six years, Blagojevich tag. debate,” says Currie. “Even within the law- alienated fellow Democrats, reneged on In late 2007, with the future of the State maker community there were many who promises, ridiculed lawmakers, challenged Children’s Health Insurance Program uncer- believed that the fact that the governor was their authority, and when things didn’t go his tain, Blagojevich declared an emergency to offering health care to more people was more way, ignored them and did what he wanted. preserve state coverage for families making important than how he did it.” He routinely ordered them back to Spring- up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level. There was also a political component. field and kept them there, demanding they But in the same emergency rule he expanded Through most of this, Blagojevich had a key approve his proposals. While lawmakers state coverage to parents and caretakers mak- ally—Illinois Senate President Emil Jones spent their summers trapped downstate, ing up to 400 percent of the federal poverty Jr., a Chicago Democrat. Time and again Blagojevich stayed at home in Chicago, and level. An administrative panel responsible for Jones and Blagojevich joined together to on the rare occasions he did venture to the making sure policies match the laws that cre- put pressure on Madigan and Illinois House Capitol, he’d fly home on a state plane every ated them, suspended Blagojevich’s orders, members. As long as Jones was in control, afternoon rather than stay at the nearby Exec- saying no emergency existed that warranted few expected a Senate impeachment trial to utive Mansion. the 400 percent expansion. ever convene. He compared Michael Madigan, chairman He ignored that decision and told his health But in August 2008, Jones announced his of the Illinois Democratic Party and speaker care agency to keep enrolling families. retirement at the end of the year. Emerging of the Illinois House, to Ho Chi Minh, ques- The same panel then nixed his final pro- as the new leader was John Cullerton, a Chi- tioned his credentials as a Democrat and posal as well, saying there was no authority cago Democrat who enjoyed a healthy politi- accused him of being part of a “right-wing to launch a health care expansion lawmakers cal relationship with Madigan and the House Republican effort to take health care away never approved let alone funded. Another leadership. from children and take meals away from court case ensued. And it was against this evolving political senior citizens.” landscape that the FBI delivered a wake-up A striking example of the disconnect CORRUPTION ACCUSATIONS call to the Blagojevich residence the morning played out at the 2008 Democratic National Aside from the political and ego battles, of Dec. 9. Convention in Denver. As Illinois Democrats scandal swirled. Blagojevich’s former politi- witnessed Obama accept the historic nomina- cal adviser Antoin “Tony” Rezko was con- UNEXPLORED TERRITORY tion, Blagojevich flew back to Illinois and victed of soliciting bribes from those wanting Madigan gave Blagojevich a week to chose that moment to announce hundreds a share of state pension investment busi- resign. When he didn’t, the House assembled of layoffs and the closing of two dozen state ness. Blagojevich’s close friend and unof- a panel to explore impeachment. Soon after, parks and historic sites to trim state spending. ficial gambling policy adviser, Chris Kelly, the 118-member House voted 113-0 to for- Blagojevich often sought to assert his pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud for hiding mally launch that investigation. office as above others and accountable only to voters. When state auditors issued a scathing report detailing how Blagojevich cast aside REPRESENTATIVE SENATOR contracting laws in steering millions to politi- JIM DURKIN DON HARMON cally connected firms, the governor sloughed off the findings, calling the audit a “prize ILLINOIS ILLINOIS fight between accountants.” His nationally publicized plan to buy vac- 40 STATE LEGISLATURES JULY/AUGUST 2009 The Illinois Constitution offers no guid- During one day’s proceedings delving stand for the notion that the Senate was going ance on what is an impeachable offense. It into Blagojevich’s health care expansion, to conduct a fair proceeding,” says Senator simply gives the House sole power to inves- Adam attempted to cast aside hours of tes- Don Harmon, a suburban Chicago Democrat tigate an impeachment case and, by majority timony and turn the focus from violations who helped assemble the process. vote, send a case to the Senate. The House’s of procedures and rules to how many people The highlight of the four-day Senate trial role is akin to that of a grand jury. In the Sen- benefited from Blagojevich’s efforts. “How was when the U.S. Attorney’s Office released ate, the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme many brother and sister Illinois citizens’ lives excerpts from its wiretaps that caught the Court presides over the trial. Removing a were saved?” he asked Blagojevich’s health governor in the midst of his alleged shake- governor requires a two-thirds vote in the care team. down efforts. The only tape federal prosecu- 59-member chamber. Lawmakers shut him down. tors turned over for use dealt with an alleged How and why lawmakers make the case is “We’re not that kind of jury,” Currie attempt to get a $100,000 campaign contri- up to them. informed him. bution from a horseracing figure in exchange “I think everybody had their own per- for the governor signing a law beneficial to sonal feelings that this governor had to be THE IMPEACHMENT that industry. removed. We’re human. We read these out- The investigative committee ultimately The excerpt featured a top Blagojevich rageous accusations,” says Representative put together a lone, sweeping abuse of power aide explaining how he’d got in the “face” of Jim Durkin, the top Republican on the House charge against Blagojevich and sent it along the track official. “OK, good,” Blagojevich investigative panel. to the full House on a unanimous vote. is heard saying. “That’s why the committee went through The Illinois House voted 114-1 with one To this point, Blagojevich had refused to this painstaking process to make sure we member voting “present” to send the case to participate in the process and had avoided weren’t acting out of personal animosity.
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