Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Things aren't looking good for Sen. Burris

A lot of news broke yesterday on Roland Burris. So I refer you to this post yesterday over at the CapFax. I want to focus on three specific stories here.

UPDATE 11:26 AM - Also here's an updated round-up regarding Senator Burris on the defensive by the CapFax.

Yesterday Burris indicated that he was open to a Senate inquiry on the circumstances regarding his appointment to Obama's Senate seat. Well the Senate has started one story courtesy of Lynn Sweet:
The Senate Ethics Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is opening a preliminary probe into Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) and his seeming misleading statements about events leading up to his appointment by ousted Gov. Blagojevich to the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

"Whenever allegations of improper conduct are brought to the attention of the Senate Ethics Committee, we open a preliminary inquiry," Boxer Communications Director Natalie Ravitz said Tuesday.
The Chicago Tribune has already called for Burris' resignation:
The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. It finally snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four.

Let’s see if we have it right: Burris had zero contact with any of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s cronies about his interest in the Senate seat being vacated by President Barack Obama— unless you count that conversation with former chief of staff Lon Monk, and, on further reflection, the ones with insiders John Harris, Doug Scofield and John Wyma and, oh yeah, the governor’s brother and fund-raising chief, Robert Blagojevich. But Burris didn’t raise a single dollar for the now ex-governor as a result of those contacts because that could be construed as a quid pro quo and besides, everyone he asked refused to donate.

The story gets worse with every telling.

Enough. Roland Burris must resign.
Rich Miller also excerpts from a letter than was sent to him by Cook County Clerk David Orr:
…Naturally, any nominee can play word games, a verbal hide-and-seek with the truth. But your silence in this matter is subterfuge, not gamesmanship. No Americans or Illinois voters nor your colleagues in elective office should have to suffer through more episodes in this unseemly drama. We deserve a clean break with the embarrassing Blagojevich era. This is not merely a legal issue; it is a moral issue.

I have supported you in the past as a colleague and as a friend. But today I ask you to step down and let the people of Illinois move forward into a new era of good governance.

Sincerely,
David Orr
Cook County Clerk
Here's the full letter by the Cook County Clerk.

If you go over to the CapFax you will also see a statement made by Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley who like state Rep. John Fritchey is seeking to replace Rahm Emanuel in the US House of Representatives.

I should add because of an objection Fritchey made during impeachment committee hearings back in January when Burris was asked about the circumstances of Burris appointment he might have a little bump in the road for his run for Congress. We'll have to see, I don't think he was wrong for objecting, but it does seem people wanted to really tear into Roland Burris because he said yes to an appointment made from a guy who was arrested. And at that arrested for crimes connected with appointing someone to that Senate seat.

It's a mess!

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