Opinion: Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to skip his impeachment trial
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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would skip his impeachment trial next week because the proceedings would not allow him to have a fair trial.
In a televised news conference, Blagojevich argued that the state Senate trial scheduled to begin Monday would “trample on my constitutional rights.” The governor, who faces federal corruption charges, tried to cast the battle over whether he will forced from office as a part of the ongoing dispute between the executive and legislative branches.
“However, as much as I would like to participate in the Senate trial, they are not allowing me to participate,” Blagojevich said in a televised news conference that lasted more than 20 minutes.
“It’s a scary thing if they get away with doing this, with a process like this. Then what kind of impact will this have on future governors?” Blagojevich said.
On Dec. 9 Blagojevich was arrested on a variety of federal corruption charges, including accusations that he tried profit from his power to name a successor to Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat.
The arrest led the Illinois House to vote to impeach the governor for allegedly abusing his power. The Senate will decide if Blagojevich should be convicted of the impeachment charges.
As part of the rules of the proceedings, Blagojevich is not allowed to call any witnesses or take other actions that would be included in a criminal proceeding. Blagojevich and his lawyers for argued for weeks that the limitations were unfair and violate the governor’s rights. (More below)
“I’m not going to be a party to that process,” he said. “That would be a violation of my oath of office. That, to me, would be an impeachable offense.”
Blagojevich also argued that the impeachment is part of ongoing warfare between him and the Legislature.
“The heart and soul of this is me against the system,” the governor said. “If I’m removed from office, there is a whopping big tax increase coming.”
-- Michael Muska
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