CHICAGO — A group of black ministers who supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as he fought to get his job now plan to ask for his resignation following revelations that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Many of the city’s influential black pastors supported Burris because of his scandal-free reputation — even though he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich three weeks after the governor was accused of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
Now some of those pastors will ask Burris to resign, according to the minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a meeting with Burris had not yet been scheduled.
Clergy Speaks Interdenominational, an umbrella group that includes hundreds of Chicago’s black churches, will meet today to discuss its support for Burris, spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said.
For now, the group still supports him and its leaders are unaware of discussions about asking him to resign, she said.
Burris spokesman Jim O’Connor would not say whether the senator would meet with ministers and referred to a statement from Burris asking that leaders “stop the rush to judgment.”
