Burris Throws Blagojevich Under the Bus

blagojevich and burrisThe day after the awkward, poorly staged, and all around strange press conference where Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich defied everyone and choose former Illinois Attorney Gen. Roland Burris to replace Barack Obama in the Senate Burris has gone and pulled an Obama by completely trashing Blago.

Here’s how CNN put it:

The man appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat said Wednesday his appointment to the position is legal, despite the charges against the governor.

Former Illinois Attorney Gen. Roland Burris said Blagojevich is innocent until proven guilty, even though his behavior “is reprehensible.”

“I don’t look upon the governor’s problems as my problems. I look at the governor’s problems as his problems,” Burris said.

Ouch… but if that wasn’t enough, it gets even better. In the same enthusiastic manor he accepted the appointment from Blago, Burris is now doing a back flip to support the current attorney general’s attempts to impeach Blago:

He also appeared to support Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s efforts to remove Blagojevich from office, calling his alleged actions “reprehensible.”

“I certainly applaud her actions,” he said of Madigan in a December 13 news conference, according to WBBM. “Illinois is too important to its 18 million citizens to have a chief executive who is now incapacitated.

“The evidence that’s been presented is pretty appalling, should that come out to be the case of what our governor is attempting to do,” he said, according to WBBM.

And as if all of that wasn’t rich enough, Burris genuinely believes that he wont be tainted by any of this… what a joke:

After Blagojevich’s announcement, Burris asked to be judged on his own merits.

“I have nothing to do with the governor’s problems,” he told CNN. “I am not tainted by this appointment.”

What’s that saying? You can’t have your appointment and an impeachment too?

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Stephen Gutowski

Stephen Gutowski is an award-winning political reporter who got his start in 2009 when he founded this blog.

5 thoughts on “Burris Throws Blagojevich Under the Bus”

  1. You idiots are reading into it this way too deeply. He said that his actions are reprehensible (if found guilty). He didn’t mean that he “did” anything wrong. It was uttered in the context of whether or not he is actually convicted of any nefarious activities, in a COURT OF LAW. This was not an implication on his part to any wrongdoing, as if he were thumbing his nose at everyone to suggest nana nana boe-boe, you can’t do anything to me, ha ha, nana nana boe-boe. You are all idiots.

  2. This is just how appointments are made in Africa. In less than four years America will be a third world country run by gangsters and hoods. You asked for it.

  3. Whatever…

    The US has always been a third world nation – poverty among minorites, vote rigging, political dynasties, nepotism, race/tribal baiting, religious fanaticism, corruption everywhere…you name it.

    So we are one up in Africa you see, we are over the denial stage.

  4. How do you know maybe Burris is the highest bidder for that Senate seat. He maybe part of the whole corruption. If Blagojevich is convicted, then Burris will be subjected to the investigation.

  5. I am remembering The Old Mayor Hizzoner’s friend Paddy Bauler’s infamous quote: CHICAGO AIN’T READY FOR REFORM!

    Is Chicago ready yet? Is Illinois?

    A few weeks ago I heard someone on radio mention that Obama got the US senate seat because Chicago pols wanted him out of the state instead of in the Illinois governorship — they didn’t want him playing in their back yard anymore.

    The Blago office-selling flap raises interesting questions.

    Let’s all watch to see if any dots appear between ethics changes that Blago wanted and the US senate seat ‘scandal’.

    Chicago has seen much worse than the sale of political office, and in fact speaking of sale of political offices, if local pols are so offended about the sale of a senate seat, where were they when Mayor Daley held back Cook County’s vote talley the night Cook County elected Jack Kennedy? And which judge promised Joe Kennedy his kid would be elected by Chicago?

    This paragraph from the ethics change story is something that for sure would set Chicago machine policians’ hair on fire:

    “Blagojevich last month used his amendatory veto power to expand the contractor donation ban to lawmakers and all state officeholders. He also tried to change how pay raises would be voted on, bar lawmakers from holding most other government jobs and require them to more fully disclose lobbying work”

    With lawmakers and state office-holders’ ‘donations’ from contractors, self-voted pay raises, and other sources of off-the-books income in jeopardy, you better believe that the whole state legislature, not to mention every Chicago machine politician past, present, and future would want Blago gone.

    From the ‘reform’ story: “Let’s go ahead and give the people of the state of Illinois what they want and what they deserve,” Fritchey said

    Oh yeah. And he was using the one-finger salute to let his audience know exactly what he meant.

    Cynical? Yes, but I’ve been living in and near Chicago since Hizzoner was king…er, I mean Mayor.

    ——————————————————————————–

    “Is Illinois ready for ethics?

    The House undid in about two minutes the sweeping ethics reform rewrite Blagojevich spent two months putting together.

    The House voted 110-3 for the original version of House Bill 824 that lawmakers passed in May. That version would bar people with state contracts worth $50,000 or more from making political donations to state officeholders overseeing the contracts.

    Blagojevich also issued an executive order effective Jan. 1 barring people with high-dollar contracts with agencies under his control from giving donations to any state officeholders or lawmakers.

    Blagojevich last month used his amendatory veto power to expand the contractor donation ban to lawmakers and all state officeholders. He also tried to change how pay raises would be voted on, bar lawmakers from holding most other government jobs and require them to more fully disclose lobbying work.

    Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, said lawmakers should consider the changes in separate bills that he filed Wednesday, not in a take-it-or-leave-it vote.

    “Let’s go ahead and give the people of the state of Illinois what they want and what they deserve,” Fritchey said.

    The vote came just hours after Blagojevich had urged lawmakers not to override his changes because he fears they will be stalled if they’re put into separate bills.

    If the measure isn’t voted on in the Senate within 15 days, the entire bill and the changes die.”

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