SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Dec. 15, 2008
Blagojevich Retains Famed Criminal Lawyer
Chicago Attorney Edward Genson Says He'll Represent The Embattled Governor In Corruption Case
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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich leaves a downtown office building Monday, Dec. 15, 2008, in Chicago. Blagojevich was arrested last week on federal charges that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich waves as he leaves a downtown office building, Dec. 14, 2008, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Play CBS Video Video Blagojevich Meets Lawyer How to deal with Obama's empty senate seat is the heart of the issue for most politicians as Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich keeps mum about his next move, reports Dean Reynolds.
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Video Blagojevich's Political Links One of President-elect Barack Obama's top aides, Rahm Emmanuel, discussed the Illinois Senator's vacancy with that state's controversial Governor Rod Blagojevich. Dean Reynolds reports.
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Video The Tide Against Blagojevich The Illinois governor's chief of staff resigns in the midst of increasing calls for embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich to do the same or be removed, reports Dean Reynolds.
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Interactive Political Scandals Politics can be a strange and dirty business. Check out some of the biggest missteps and mishaps in recent history.
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State Fast Facts Illinois Learn about the people, economy and geography.
Genson said Monday as he left his downtown Chicago office that Blagojevich had retained him.
Genson has been highly sought after by the rich and famous for his persuasive powers with jurors. His clients have included R&B superstar R. Kelly and Hollinger International media mogul Conrad Black.
Blagojevich is charged with trying to profit from his power to appoint a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat, among other things.
On Monday, the Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan announced that he will appoint a special committee to review the case and recommend whether Blagojevich should be impeached. Once the committee makes a recommendation, the full House will decide whether to file impeachment charges against the governor.
"We're going to proceed with all due speed, but we're going to make sure that what we do is done correctly," the Chicago Democrat said.
Republicans and Democrats alike have called for Illinois lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich, saying the step is necessary to restore public confidence in state government.
"This isn't about the legal process, this is about the governor being unable to govern right now," Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky said on CBS' The Early Show.
"The General Assembly must move to impeach Rod Blagojevich immediately," said DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett, a potential Republican candidate for governor in 2010.
Madigan did not join the chorus of officials calling for Blagojevich's resignation or say whether he thinks the governor should be impeached, saying he should remain neutral because he would preside over any impeachment debate.
But he did not back away from his role as one of the governor's harshest critics, saying he's not surprised by the federal allegations. Madigan, who once co-chaired Blagojevich's re-election campaign, often has refused to meet with Blagojevich or return his phone calls in recent months.
"I've had a chance to get to know Mr. Blagojevich over six years, so I was not surprised," Madigan said. "In light of what we've all seen ... how can anyone be surprised?"
Legislators met Monday afternoon for the first time since Blagojevich was arrested last week on charges he shook down businesses seeking state deals and tried to profit from his power to choose a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.
The legislative session's focus was supposed to be about considering a special election, but impeachment was the chief topic of conversation.
One survey shows 80 percent of state lawmakers support impeachment, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 78 Comments
- Does he get to keep his scalp rug in prison?
Posted by earache4 at 09:41 AM : Dec 16, 2008
He can use that mop to smuggle in drugs, food, alcohol, large screen TV''s, etc..... - Reply to this comment
- IMPEACH BUSH!
Give him the boot.
Take the tax breaks away from those political playing fatso fake evangelical money worshipers that supported him for eight years too.
Posted by sockpuppet4 at 08:32 AM : Dec 16, 2008
Sleep it off..... - Reply to this comment
- Rod is not getting out of it. He is formally charged by the Federal Government and the State House of Illinois. There is a cozy prison cell waiting for Blagojevich.
- Reply to this comment
- The Democrats have no balls or they would have impeached George Bush. They tried to get Clinton for a blow-job in the oval office. 80% of the American people would like to see Bush impeached whats wrong with the Democrats and the country.
- Reply to this comment
- "WOW" THE PEOPLE OF THE US CAN NOT ANY MORE SCUM FROM TEXAS PHILL GRAMM THE ONE THAT STARTED ALL THIS SHI! AND GEORGE BUSH THE ONE THAT TOOK EVERONE FOR THE RIDE OF THERE LIFE AND GOT SO MANY AMERICANS KILLED WITH A LIE.EVERONE THAT HAS LOST THERE LIFE SAVINGS CAN THANK "PHILL GRAMM" ONE OF JOHN MCCAINS TOP PEOPLE AND THEY WERE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN WITH THE HEALTHCARE FOR THE WORKNG PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY.
- Reply to this comment
- What about the 80% of legal taxpaying American citizens that support the impeachment of G W Bush?
- Reply to this comment
- The American people should get better choices than the likes of that sonovabitch in Illinois.
- Reply to this comment
- Do you REALLY think anyone at that leve would be STUPID enough to get caught on video?
Posted by txgrouch2008
Yes...I do!
This guy seems to believe that if he covers his eyes with his hands, he becomes invisable. He''s proven that he''s that stupid and more.
In any case, even if they couldn''t get a vidio (and yes...I KNOW that they could)once they are able to prove that he entered into a conspiracy to to auction off the senate seat, they could just charge the person he chooses with bribary, conspiracy, etc.
Five times the scandal...five hundred times as much political fallout! - Reply to this comment
- This guy is a disgrace to the great state of Illinois.
- Reply to this comment
- If you check the other CBS stories Blagojevich looks exactly like Obama!
Check it out for yourself!
He really does look like Obama!
He really does look like an ARAB!
This is scary!
Im am scared for this country!
Are you?
He really was born in Kenya! I have his birth certificate!
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Posted by emanuelSPEAK at 10:18 PM : Dec 15, 2008
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LOL. - Reply to this comment
- He''s no Arab. He''s a Serbian. They are pure Europeans. Obama may be part Arab.
- Reply to this comment
- If you check the other CBS stories Blagojevich looks exactly like Obama!
Check it out for yourself!
He really does look like Obama!
He really does look like an ARAB!
This is scary!
Im am scared for this country!
Are you?
He really was born in Kenya! I have his birth certificate! - Reply to this comment
- If you check the other CBS stories Blagojevich looks exactly like Obama!
Check it out for yourself!
He really does look like Obama!
This is scary!
Im am scared for this country!
Are you? - Reply to this comment
- Blagojevich looks like Obama does he not?
Why are DEMOCRATS corrupt! - Reply to this comment
- Why do us DEMOCRATS hate?
- Reply to this comment
- I would appreciate someone explaining to me why an ambitious federal prosecutor like FitzGerald didn''t wait to catch Blagojevich on video with sound and in living color, in the act of actually selling the Senate seat...and to whom!
That would have been the most watched video on the internet for years and years. He could have personally ended the show with a career-boosting arrest and provide the networks their film at eleven.
Why didn''t he?
Could it be that someone had a pretty good idea of who else they might catch and ordered him and the FBI off?
This Blagojevich is obviously an arrogant moron with serious mental issues and just the tip of the corruption iceberg...one you could probably smell long before getting close enough to see...but who would have been caught handing him the loot? - Reply to this comment
- With George the mass-murderous traitor being allowed to remain free and untried, impeachment of anyone else looks pretty silly.
- Reply to this comment
- Bu$h sent *363 tons* of $100 bills to Iraq,and no one can account for any of it. The so called ''liberal media'' swept this little factoid right under the rug. Sounds like a case of money laundering to me.
If democrats did this,the fascist republican hypocrites would be spewing a fountain of their famous bile.
When democrats fall down the moral slippery slope,it''s usually because they got caught scoring some nookie with a consenting women.
Republicans on the other hand, go for little boys,and embezzling large sums of cash.... - Reply to this comment
- to bigtexsu..he got there the same way GW did Austin he took the corrupt express.....just like every other single crook we have serving in every single office in this country that we elect people to.
- Reply to this comment
- This guy is an All Star FU/weirdo. How in the h*ll did he even get close to the governors mansion?
- Reply to this comment
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