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 Illinois Senate Impeachment Tribunal Day Three
January 28, 2009
The third day of Governor Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial gets underway this morning with witnesses expected to complete testimony on the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and to move on to discuss the Governor's attempts to circumvent state rulemaking and to review alleged financial mismanagement under the Governor.
As expected, on Tuesday the House Prosecutor played four brief recordings of telephone conversations with Governor Blagojevich and others in relation to an alleged plot to trade campaign contributions for favorable consideration of legislation of benefit to the Horse Racing Industry. The recordings were part of the testimony of FBI Special Agent Daniel Cain.
Cain's testimony concluded with questioning from Senators, including closing questions posed by Sen. John Millner (R-Carol Stream). Millner, a 30-year law enforcement professional asked Agent Cain if Cain had any doubt that the voice heard on tapes referenced in a 76-page criminal complaint, was the voice of Rod Blagojevich.
Cain said he was certain it was Blagojevich. (Hear Cain's statement)
Illinois Senate Impeachment Tribunal Day Two
January 27, 2009
The second day of the Impeachment trial of Governor Rod Blagojevich begins at 10 a.m. this morning.
Yesterday the House Prosecutor launched his case with testimony from former U.S. Attorney John Scully, who answered questions from lawmakers and the prosecutors about the care with which federal authorities make and handle covert recordings of targets in criminal investigations.
Today’s testimony from FBI special agent Dan Cain may be the most anticipated of the trial. Cain, one of the main investigators in the federal case against Blagojevich, has been given permission to verify the legitimacy of several recordings of Governor Blagojevich.
On Friday, the federal court gave U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald permission to release portions of taped conversations recorded by Cain and others.
The tapes themselves have been introduced into evidence and will be heard in connection with Cain’s testimony.
The tapes are related to the alleged plot to trade campaign contributions for favorable consideration of legislation affecting the Horse Racing Industry. (As soon as the tapes become available, a link will be provided at the Senate Republican Caucus Impeachment Website)
Blagojevich Impeachment Trial Begins Today
January 26, 2009
The Impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to begin at noon on Monday in the Illinois Senate. The trial schedule calls for the Senate to convene every day, except Sundays, until the trial concludes.
Although the Governor and his attorneys have said they will boycott the trial (instead, the Governor is planning a national media blitz), the trial will proceed as planned.
New developments include an announcement that four undercover recordings from the criminal investigation of Gov. Rod Blagojevich can be released to the state Legislature for the impeachment trial.
The U.S. attorney's office had offered to make the tapes public, something rarely done before a criminal trial, and on Friday that request was authorized by the U.S. District Court.
On Saturday, the House Prosecutor filed a motion to allow the use of the tapes in the impeachment trial.
Prosecutors have said the tapes concern Blagojevich's alleged attempt to solicit campaign contributions in exchange for supporting a bill to divert a percentage of Illinois casino revenue to the horse racing industry.
Senate Begins Impeachment Process
January 14, 2009
On the first day of the 96th General Assembly, the Illinois Senate accepted a formal article of impeachment of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from the Illinois House.
The Senate also adopted formal rules governing the impeachment trial, adopted a trial schedule, swore in each member of the Senate to "do justice according to the law" in the upcoming trial and issued a "writ of summons" to the Governor to appear for trial. The impeachment trial of Governor Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to begin in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 26.
Impeachment simply means the public official is charged with offenses that could lead to removal from office. The actual removal from office occurs only if the Illinois Senate, by a two-thirds vote, finds the Governor guilty.
Because the impeachment came at the close of the two-year General Assembly, it was necessary for the Illinois House to re-approve the resolution at the beginning of the 96th General Assembly on Jan. 14, 2009. This second impeachment resolution, HR 5, was approved on a 117-1 vote. The lone "no" vote was by the Governor's sister-in-law.
Ellis chosen to present case against Governor
January 13, 2008
Lawyer David Ellis was chosen Tuesday to present the case against Gov. Rod Blagojevich in the upcoming Senate trial, which is highly anticipated to begin Jan. 26.
Ellis has acted as legal counsel to House Speaker Michael Madigan for two years, and was in charge of the legal aspect of the House committee which recommended the impeachment of Blagojevich. He also helped draft the report that contributed to the 114-1 in favor of the governor's impeachment.
Ellis will present the evidence against Gov. Blagojevich, and the 59 Senators will judge the evidence and decide if there is enough evidence to remove the governor from office.
The format will be similiar to that used during former President Bill Clinton's trial. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald will preside over the trial.
A two-thirds majority vote will be necessary to remove the governor from office.
Dillard: House votes in favor of impeachment
January 9, 2009
Springfield, IL – The Illinois House of Representatives voted on January 9 to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, said State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale), who explained that the impeachment is just one step in a two-part process.
“Impeachment is a statement of charges against an officeholder—similar to an indictment in a criminal case,” Dillard said. “An officeholder who has been impeached must then be tried and convicted before he or she is removed from office.”
Because impeachment is so rare, there were no clear definitions on how to proceed, which was why a Senate committee was formed to establish the rules and standards that will be used in the upcoming trial. Dillard was appointed to the special committee, which has been working for a month to finalize the trial rules.
The senator said the rules will likely be adopted by the Senate on Wednesday, January 14. That would give the governor and his attorneys a week to prepare for the trial, which could begin in earnest on Monday, January 26.
“Despite the strong public sentiment to quickly move forward with the trial, we have an obligation to history to conduct a fair and thorough trial that will serve as a model for the future,” Dillard said. “We also have a responsibility to the people of Illinois, who deserve to know how deep this scandal truly runs.”
For the Governor to be removed from office, the Senate must convict the governor with a two-thirds margin. He would then be banned from holding public office again, and could still be subjected to criminal charges by the federal government.
Dillard, a long-time advocate for ethics and fiscal reform, said that the trial should be the beginning of what he hopes will be a serious commitment by state lawmakers to bring integrity back to public office.
“The years of insider contracts and backroom deals need to come to an end,” Dillard said. “We need to open up state government and increase transparency by adopting reforms that show we are serious about ending ‘pay-to-play’ politics in Illinois.”
Dillard speaks out on impeachment with the Naperville Sun.
December 19, 2008
Hinsdale, Ill. – Sen. Kirk Dillard was highlighted in a recent Naperville Sun article, in which he explained how the Senate Committee on Impeachment Trial Procedures is working to decide how the impeachment trial against Gov. Rod Blagojevich will be conducted.
Dillard explained that because the act of impeachment is rare, and has never before occurred in Illinois, the committee members met continuously through December and early January to draft the rules and proceedings that will be used during the trial. He said that they researched impeachment rules from other states, as well as those used during the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton.
You can read the entire article here.
Dillard appointed to impeachment rules committee
December 16, 2008
SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) says Illinois lawmakers must do what is necessary to allow the public – not Gov. Rod Blagojevich or any other politician – to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama.
Dillard has also been appointed to serve on a committee that will establish impeachment trial procedures.
“After federal agents arrested Gov. Blagojevich Dec. 9 for allegedly trying to profit from his role in selecting the next U.S. Senator, the General Assembly was called back into legislative session to remove the Governor from the process and allow citizens to pick the next U.S. Senator from Illinois,” Dillard said. “We told the public that’s what we were going to do; however the state’s Democrat leaders have decided they know best and would not allow us to consider ‘special election’ legislation.”
House and Senate Democrats left Springfield without ever taking up a proposed plan to allow the public to pick Obama’s replacement through a special election.
“The Democrats have fumbled the moral authority to pick Barack Obama’s successor to the United States Senate. Hopefully, the people of Illinois will pick up that ball and move forward with a special election,” Dillard said. “You cannot put a price on democracy or the confidence that the people of the Land of Lincoln have in sending a replacement for the President-Elect to the greatest deliberative body in the world – the United States Senate.”
Before they left Dec. 16, the Senate did adopt Senate Resolution 966, which creates the Special Committee on Impeachment Trial Procedures to recommend rules in the event of a House vote to impeach the Governor. Dillard will serve on this committee, which is chaired by Senate President-Elect John Cullerton, with whom Dillard has co-chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee “in an amiable fashion” for the past six years.
“The Special Committee on Impeachment Trial Procedures had its first meeting today (Dec. 16). Our second committee hearing is at 9:30 a.m., Friday, (Dec. 19) in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago,” Dillard said. “We will begin discussing rules, due process and evidentiary standards that need to be set should the House of Representatives vote to impeach Gov. Blagojevich.”
The 24th District Senator says if the House votes to impeach the Governor, the Senate will sit as jury with the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court acting as presiding officer.
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