Illinois panel backs Blagojevich impeachment
A 69-page draft report by a special investigative committee lists a litany of alleged abuses by the Illinois governor and puts him one step closer to being removed from office.
Reporting from Springfield, Ill. — The special Illinois House panel investigating Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued a draft report Thursday recommending impeachment, putting lawmakers on a path toward removing the two-term Democrat from office.
"The citizens of this state must have confidence that their governor will faithfully serve the people and put their interests before his own. It is with profound regret that the committee finds that our current governor has not done so," says the 69-page document posted by Democratic and Republican members on the House website.
"For all the reasons stated in this report and the evidence contained in the record before the committee, the special investigative committee for the Illinois House of Representatives, 95th General Assembly, finds that the totality of the evidence warrants the impeachment of the governor for cause," the draft report concludes.
The language in the 69-page draft report reflects the sentiments of the 21 members on the House panel, who began looking into impeachment proceedings against the governor on Dec. 16 -- a week after Blagojevich was arrested at his Chicago home on federal criminal charges of allegedly using the governor's office for personal and political gain.
Members of the impeachment panel began meeting last Sunday to work on the draft language for the report, which is expected to be voted upon by the committee by week's end. The recommendation for impeachment would then go to the full House for a vote anticipated for Friday. If the House votes for impeachment, the case would go the Senate for trial to determine whether Blagojevich should be convicted and removed from office.
The report could still be amended to reflect ongoing events. The panel is awaiting word on whether it will get to hear edited recordings of Blagojevich, obtained secretly by federal agents as part of their criminal investigation, regarding alleged attempts by the governor to shake down a horse racing-industry official for a campaign donation in exchange for signing a bill that redirects casino gambling revenues to horse tracks.
Lawmakers detailed a litany of alleged abuses of the governor's power in the draft report. The list includes Blagojevich expanding healthcare without legislative approval, spending state money on useless flu vaccines, refusing to release federal subpoenas and other government information to the public, widespread hiring abuses and pay-to-play activities in which big contributors often wound up with hefty state contracts.
