CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers will take the first steps toward the potential removal of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich today, when a bipartisan impeachment committee meets to seek evidence of official misconduct.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Democrat, said the “committee of inquiry,” created six days after Blagojevich’s arrest on public corruption charges, intends to work quickly, mindful that state government is virtually paralyzed and President-elect Barack Obama’s former Senate seat remains empty.
As legislators met in special session to consider the governor’s fate and navigate the complex task of filling Obama’s seat, Blagojevich maintained his public silence. He reported to his Chicago office and gave no hint of his plans.
On another front, Obama delayed the expected release of a review of his team’s political contacts with the Blagojevich administration. He said the review confirmed that his staff had done nothing inappropriate and that the corruption case had “nothing to do with my office.”
Obama said he delayed the release at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, whose investigators are hurrying to interview witnesses in the Blagojevich case. A Fitzgerald spokesman confirmed the request for a delay.
“I would ask for your patience because I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation,” Obama said. “But there is nothing in the review that was presented to me that in any way contradicted my earlier statements.”
There have been no suggestions that anyone on Obama’s staff acted unethically. Indeed, in secret recordings, Blagojevich lamented that the Obama team was offering only “appreciation,” not favors.
Madigan’s decision to create a 21-member impeachment committee — 12 Democrats and nine Republicans — signaled that lawmakers do not intend to wait for Blagojevich to resign as the state faces a billion-dollar budget crisis and pressure to name a successor to Obama.
Yet it remained unclear what evidence would be available to the committee or how long the inquiry and a potential state Senate trial could take, should the committee recommend impeachment and lawmakers pursue his removal.
“We plan to proceed without delay,” Madigan said. “What we are doing is preparing for a trial in the Senate. We are going to proceed with all due speed, but we are going to make sure that what we do is done correctly.”
A central decision beyond impeachment is how to fill Obama’s vacant seat. Many Democrats want Blagojevich to step aside to permit Democratic Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to appoint a successor. Others, including most Republicans, favor a special election.
As lawmakers met behind closed doors Monday, the logistical and political complexities seemed to defy easy resolution.
As one Democratic legislator said as he arrived in the capital, “That’s still a moving target. I can’t tell you with any certainty what will happen.”
