What Illinois Corruption Looks Like
This past Sunday, Roland Burris made a number of statements that flew in the face of reality. Mark Brown of the Sun-Times highlights some of the exchanges Sen. Burris was asked in this article. Here’s a sampling of those exchanges:
Rep. Jim Durkin: “Did you talk to any members of the governor’s staff or anyone closely related to the governor, including family members or any lobbyists connected with him, including, let me throw out some names — John Harris, Rob Blagojevich, Doug Scofield, Bob Greenleaf, Lon Monk, John Wyma? Did you talk to anybody…associated with the governor about your desire to seek the appointment prior to the governor’s arrest?”
Burris lawyer Timothy Wright: “Give us a moment.” (Wright and Burris confer.)
Burris: “I talked to some friends about my desire to be appointed, yes.”
Durkin: “I guess the point is I was trying to ask: Did you speak to anybody who was on the governor’s staff prior to the governor’s arrest or anybody, any of those individuals or anybody who is closely related to the governor?”
Burris: “I recall having a meeting with Lon Monk about my partner and I trying to get continued business, and I did bring it up — it must have been in September or maybe it was in July of ‘08 that, you know, you’re close to the governor, let him know that I am certainly interested in the seat.”
It’s obvious that Rep. Durkin wanted to know if Roland Burris had contacts with each of the people he cited. It’s equally obvious that Burris limited his answer.
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Sen. Roland Burris has admitted that he tried raising money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich:
Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has acknowledged that he sought to raise campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the governor’s brother at the same time he was making a pitch to be appointed to the Senate seat previously held by President Obama.
Burris’ latest comments in Peoria, Ill., Monday night were the first time he has publicly said he was actively trying to raise money for Blagojevich. Previously Burris has left the impression that he always balked at the issue of raising money for the governor because of his interest in the Senate appointment.
I think that’s the easiest way to admit you didn’t “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
I remember from the Clinton impeachment that one of Clinton’s lawyers, perhaps Greg Craig or Lanny Davis, saying that impeachment was more than just telling something that wasn’t accurate, that it also had to be pertinent to the case at hand.
Sen. Burris certainly didn’t make an accurate statement but what he said certainly is pertinent to Gov. Blagojevich’s impeachment because one of the articles of impeachment included play-for-pay.
UPDATE II: John Schmidt, the Sangamon Couty State Attorney, is investigating Sen. Burris’ testimony before the impeachment committee:
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Schmidt said today he is now reviewing sworn testimony submitted by U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as part of a possible perjury investigation.
“The case is under review,” Schmidt told the Sun-Times. “We’ve received the affidavits and transcripts. That’s where the review begins. There may be additional information we need. Should that be the case, we’ll obtain it.
This essentially ends Sen. Burris’ brief time in the Senate. Burris’s resignation is now just a formality.
I’d be telling a Blagojevich-sized whopper if I said I was surprised.
Technorati Tags: Scandals, Roland Burris, Fundraising, Perjury, Investigation, Rod Blagojevich, Impeachment, Pay For Play, Conviction
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog