SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois senators for the first time have heard FBI recordings of Gov. Rod Blagojevich that are part of a corruption investigation that led to his impeachment.
The prosecutor at the Democratic governor’s impeachment trial said today that the taped conversations reveal the governor talking with a lobbyist about how to get campaign contributions in exchange for signing legislation wanted by the horse-racing industry.
The recordings played today are just some of those made by the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office.
The U.S. attorney won’t release most of the tapes because that might interfere with his criminal investigation. But he’s allowed the impeachment trial to hear a few minutes on just one topic.
Blagojevich is boycotting the trial. He says its rules prevent him from offering a real defense, and he’s denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier, an FBI agent testified today at the impeachment trial that Blagojevich called President Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat a “golden” opportunity that could help him make money.
Again and again, agent Daniel Cain told state senators he had accurately quoted Blagojevich in a sworn affidavit filed when the governor was arrested last month on federal corruption charges. At each stage, House prosecutor David Ellis displayed the most damning quote on a poster board.
The affidavit quoted Blagojevich saying his power to name a replacement to Obama’s vacant Senate seat was a “valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.” Ellis asked if that was accurate.
Yes, Cain replied.
Did he say, “I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden, and uh, uh I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing”?
Yes, Cain said.
Did he say, “I want to make money”?
Yes, Cain said.
While the impeachment prosecutor used Blagojevich’s own words against him, the Democratic governor was in New York for the second day of a media tour focused on portraying the impeachment as unfair and politically motivated.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Blagojevich did not directly answer when asked whether he will step aside quietly if convicted by the Senate.
“I’ll respect the law and the Constitution and the rules,” he said, “and whether or not there are legal remedies to pursue beyond this we haven’t really discussed … but I’m not going to rule out what some of those options might be.”
Blagojevich, who says he expects to be removed from office soon, also said he hasn’t done anything to prepare state government for the switch to a new governor.
“This was completely unexpected and not something that we envisioned happening. It’s all happened so fast,” he said. “The answer is no. I have not.”
Blagojevich doesn’t deny making the comments alleged by federal prosecutors. But he says they were taken out of context and don’t amount to anything illegal.
“In the end, a lot of it was talk and exploring ideas,” Blagojevich told the AP. “I never, ever intended to violate any criminal law.”
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on a variety of corruption charges, including scheming to benefit from appointing Obama’s replacement and demanding campaign contributions in exchange for state services.
He denies any wrongdoing.
His arrest triggered impeachment proceedings in the Illinois Legislature, where lawmakers have spent six years butting heads with Blagojevich. The House voted 117-1 to impeach Blagojevich — the only “no” came from his sister-in-law — and now the Senate is conducting a trial on whether to remove him.
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