« previous | MUCK HOME | next »
CREW To Blago: "Resign Immediately"
In what is likely the start of a trend, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the DC-based good government group, has released a statement calling on Blagojevich to resign as Illinois governor.
It's fair to say that if the allegations in the charging documents are true, the governor has shown neither responsibility nor ethics.
Advertisement
Josh
Zachary
I think there should be nore than a press conference and an indictment before people start making calls for resignation.
December 9, 2008 2:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I gotta agree. I haven't seen anything which shows more than loose hypothetical talk, so far. 76 pages for what?
December 9, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh come on now! Taped phone calls, signed depositions, what do you need? Nobody's saying he's been convicted but it doesn't require conviction to violate the public trust!
December 9, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fitzgerald is not the kind of guy to go out and arrest a sitting governor unless he's got the goods. This investigation of "pay-to-play" has been going on for a long time. The Senate seat raffle is just the capstone. When the full extent of Blago's corruption is laid bare people are going to be shocked, and that takes some doing.
December 9, 2008 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
If the investigation has been going on for a while, why do all the allegations concern Obama's seat which became vacant one month ago? That would seem to indicate that the investigation prior to that time turned up nothing, even though Fitz was supposedly all over Blog. What does that tell you?
December 9, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you're being silly!
But if you mean the Fitzgerald set out to smear the Gov. for lack of substantial evidence of substantial criminal activity, it might work.
December 9, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
If this is the worst of it... hmmm
I agree with Hearldsquare, Blago is a moron for conducting this type of business over the phone, but this is fairly typical stuff for pols.
Very odd that this most recent stuff is all Fitz had -- seems a lot like whitewater -- keep throwing chum in the water and wait for the pol to do something impeachable -- but not illegal.
The Bush Admin paid military advisors to provide disinfo to journalists, has allowed advisors to use executive privilige etc..
December 9, 2008 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought it strange that Obama resigned his Senate seat so far in advance of the inauguration. Was this an effort to flush out Blago? So Blago will follow in the footsteps of Kerner, Walker and Ryan....
December 9, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the more likely explanation for that is that he didn't want to be taking positions as a Senator on issues that he'd have to deal with as President in just a couple months. Any "influence" on the proceedings might smell.
December 9, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
> Was this an effort to flush out Blago?
No, it was an effort to give his successor more seniority in the Senate.
December 9, 2008 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blago makes Duke Cunningham look like a rookie doesn't he?
Perhaps TPM should rename the Golden Dukes? Just a thought..as long as all of these things turn out to be true and prosecution ends up with him doing the perp walk. ;)
December 9, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately, Blago's not likely to resign...not if, after the Trib article Friday, and almost FOUR years of investigation, and dodging the bullets so far, he announced "Go ahead and tape me!" Funny that he said it looked like Nixon and Watergate last week - turns out, he's right! At best, he's going to offer to resign in return for leniency from DOJ, and I don't think Fitzgerald, or Mukasy, or any Illinois Dems will play.
...And what does this do to Sen. Durbin's plea for parole for Ryan???
December 9, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's sad that the people of Chicago have come to expect corruption from their politicians. They love the Daleys who benefitted the city while lining their pockets, but when someone like Blagojevich doesn't help the city out, the voters turn on him.
December 9, 2008 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink