Illinois Governor, Attorney General, Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, Illinois state constitution, U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, state Supreme Court, Illinois state history, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Barack Hussein Obama
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich might resign from office as early as Monday, the state’s Attorney General said.
“We have heard that there is a possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement that he will step aside,” Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said during an appearance Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Madigan said Blagojevich — who has been charged with attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder — faces two options. He can resign or temporarily remove himself from office — an option provided in the Illinois state constitution. SOURCE: FOX NEWS
Did Blagojevich make a deal? We will know if he starts singing!
Resigning from the governorship won’t have any impact on his potential criminal liability. So it’s highly unlikely that there would be any deal from Blago to “sing” just to get him out of office. The two aren’t intertwined.
You’re telling us that you know nothing about law or history….just a big blowhard diogenes!
“So it’s highly unlikely that there would be any deal from Blago to “sing” just to get him out of office.”
You’re speculating here. My understanding is that you never speculate.
And, in any case, prosecutors would indeed be inclined to go harder on a target who tried to tough it out in the job. I seem to recall Spitzer resigning promptly in the hope of getting some charges dropped. Who knows how Fitzgerald has presented the options to Blago? The smart thing to do may be to step down *and* talk.
Oh, I’m not suggesting that Blago jevich”tough it out” and I agree that he should resign. But the imminence or non-imminence of his resignation is not affected by any negotiations with the federal prosecutor at this point. I would be very very surprised if there were ANY such talks at this juncture. Fitzgerald holds all the cards right now; he’s got no reason to bargain with Blagojevich. And if Blagojvich doesn’t resign soon, as you said, it’ll be that much easier for Fitzgerald to put the screws to him. It’s really not Fitzgerald’s concern if Blagojevich resigns or not, so why should he waste his time bargaining anything away at this point?
GTP, I’d be happy to respond to you, if I could just figure out what exactly your “point” is.
You’re speculating. Google “Spitzer” and “bargaining chip.” Whether or not Spitzer’s lawyers were being smart, it certainly appears that resigning in order to avoid certain charges was seriously considered. Maybe federal prosecutors in these cases take the interests of the citizens of NY or IL into consideration and try to ensure an orderly transition.
Not e the blackmail aspect here. The prosecutors do *not* hold all the cards, since the governor essentially holds the state government hostage.