The final vote in the Illinois State Senate impeachment trial of Rod Blagojevich ending in a rout: 59 for conviction, zero for acquittal. Mr. Blagojevich was removed from office and barred from state politics for life. Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn was sworn in to replace Mr. Blagojevich (was that a new suit?).
Rod Blagojevich now enters the record books as the first governor in the ethically-challenged history of the State of Illinois to be removed from office while living. Start engraving those brass plaques.
Here’s the post-game chatter:
Fox News: Illinois Senate Kicks Blagojevich Out of Office
Ground Report: It’s Endgame For Rod Blagojevich As He Is Unanimously Impeached
Wichita Eagle blog:Blagojevich gets the boot
NY Times: Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate
Chicago Tribune: Impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been removed from office
AP: Ill. gov unanimously convicted, tossed from office
LA Times “Top of the Ticket” blog: Ranks of unemployed governors swells by one; Illinois ousts Blago
UPI:Senate expels Blagojevich, Quinn sworn in
Chicago Tribune “Clout Street” blog: Senate removes Blagojevich from office
BBC: Illinois governor guilty of abuse
TPM: The Unanimous Sentence for Blagojevich: Death
Reuters: Illinois Governor Blagojevich convicted, ousted
Chicago Reader “News Bites” blog: Punishing Blago
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion blog: Blagojevich Convicted – Senator Says “It’s Bleeping Golden”; Obama’s Former Colleagues Say Everybody Knew About Corruption, And No One Did Anything
(The New York Post front page reads “Bad Hair Day” but we don’t have a copy yet; The NY Daily News has this.)
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February 18, 2009 at 12:19 pm
[…] seat vacated by President Barack H. Obama. The Illinois Senate found Mr. Blagojevich guilty and removed him from office soon after, and he is awaiting trial in Federal […]
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