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Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday
asserted his innocence and blamed the state House for his problems just hours
after the legislature voted to impeach him. During a somewhat bizarre press conference, Blagojevich
spoke from a podium surrounded by constituents, including a man in a
wheelchair, all of whom the governor said he had helped through a variety of
legislative initiatives.
He took no questions, and never addressed charges he
abused his power by seeking to sell the Senate seat of President-elect Obama to
the highest bidder, among other allegations.
Instead, Blagojevich said he expected the impeachment,
and cast the House vote as part of a battle between the governor and a
recalcitrant legislature.
“From the very moment of my reelection, I've been engaged
in a struggle with the House to try to get things done for people,” Blagojevich
said.
“I've worked very hard, and continue to keep pushing and
prodding the House to pass a capital construction program, a public works
program, a jobs program, one that would create anywhere from 500,000 to 750,000
jobs. The House has stood in the way of letting that happen.
“In my view, those of us who make the rules ought to be
able to follow a simple lesson that I was taught to believe in in Sunday school
called the Golden Rule: that you should do unto others as you would have others
do unto you.”
To close the press conference, Blagojevich recited lines
from Tennyson's “Ulysses.” A few weeks ago, he had chosen a poem by Rudyard
Kipling.
In response to the press conference, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn
(D) once again reiterated his call for the governor to step down.
“The people of Illinois want a governor who can be their
leader, and Gov. Blagojevich has lost the confidence of the people of Illinois.
He's lost the consent of the governed,” Quinn said.
“I wish he had resigned today, and I think it's
unfortunate that he did not resign,” he added. “Gov. Blagojevich has to realize
there are times in life when you have to put your country first.”
Blagojevich is likely to face a host of criminal charges
stemming from an extensive pay-to-play investigation being conducted by federal
authorities, including alleged attempts to sell the Senate seat vacated by
Obama.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald had to ask for an
extension to file charges, reportedly thanks to an abundance of evidence
against Blagojevich and a host of new evidence.
Throughout his ordeal, Blagojevich has proven a thorn in
Democrats' side, frustrating Obama's transition team and Democrats on Capitol
Hill. Blagojevich did his best to associate himself with the president-elect
one more time, citing a measure the governor had worked on with former Rep.
Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff.
Blagojevich said he had worked with Emanuel on
reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada. “The House is impeaching me
for that. Is that an impeachable offense?”
Blagojevich said he had pushed for increased healthcare
access, lower property taxes and an expansion of breast and cervical cancer
legislation, all of which he said were blocked in the House.
“We're going to move forward. And I'm going to continue
to fight every step of the way,” Blagojevich said.
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