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Welcome to the homepage of
Sandy Cole – Illinois State Representative
As we receive information regarding the Impeachment proceedings and the vacant U.S. Senate Seat, it will be posted on this page by most recent date.
POSTED 1/2/09
Governor’s Senate Appointment Faces Legal Hurdles
Impeachment Process Continues in the Illinois House
Happy New Year! I hope 2009 will be a time full of promise and great happiness for you and your loved ones. As we enter this new year, I would like to update you on the major developments this week involving the Governor and Illinois’ vacant U.S. Senate seat.
On December 30, Rod Blagojevich set off another legal firestorm and constitutional crisis when he announced the appointment of former Illinois Comptroller and Attorney General Roland Burris to the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama. The appointment comes at a time when both Secretary of State Jesse White and U.S. Senate Democratic leaders in Washington D.C. have stated their refusal to certify the appointment and thereby block Burris from taking his seat next Tuesday, January 6 for the inauguration of the 111th Congress.
In response, Burris has taken his case to the Illinois Supreme Court in an effort to compel the Secretary of State to certify his appointment, a move many legal analysts expect will occur. Uncertainty remains, however, over what will happen when Burris arrives in Washington on Tuesday and seeks to gain entrance to the Senate floor to be sworn in as the junior Senator from Illinois. A spokesman for the Senate has indicated they plan to deny Burris entry as part of the ongoing effort to reject his appointment to the chamber and prevent him from taking his seat.
Meanwhile, the House committee investigating the impeachment charges against the Governor adjourned on December 29 and is scheduled to resume hearings on Tuesday. The committee is expected to conclude its investigation next week and make a recommendation to the full House of Representatives on whether to move forward with impeachment. The House is returning to Springfield on January 7 to await the committee’s report and prepare for a vote. In the event that an impeachment resolution is approved by the House, the Governor would then go on trial in the Illinois Senate. The Senate will ultimately act as the jurors and will have to take action to remove the Governor from office if they vote to convict him on the impeachment charges.
It is our expectation that the House investigative committee and the Senate will continue to move forward cautiously but expeditiously. I will continue to keep you informed of developments as they occur.
POSTED 12/30/08
Governor to Appoint Roland Burris to Vacant U.S. Senate Seat
Governor Rod Blagojevich held a press conference on Tuesday, December 30 at 2:30 PM to announce his appointment of former Illinois Attorney General, Roland Burris to the vacant U.S. Senate Seat. There is little doubt in Springfield that Burris will accept the appointment.
However, my colleagues and I believe that the people of Illinois deserve to have their voices heard on the choice for our next U.S. Senator. The current process is tainted, and any appointment by the Governor will be looked upon with suspicion by the people of Illinois as well as the United States Senate.
U.S. Senate leaders have already indicated that they will refuse to seat any appointment made by the Governor, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has already stated that he will not certify any appointments made by the Governor.
Last month, legislators were called back to Springfield (December 15) to vote on special election legislation, but House Democrats flip-flopped on the bill and failed to reach a consensus. Their lack of leadership and inaction on HB6733 has opened the door to the Governor making this Senate appointment.
The General Assembly must act now to pass a special election law that will allow the people to decide who our next U.S. Senator will be. My colleagues and I urge House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) to bring lawmakers back to Springfield to vote on HB6733.
With regard to impeachment proceedings against the Governor, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has indicated that some of the federal wiretaps may be released to the House Special Investigative Committee for a hearing on Monday, January 5. The consensus of the committee members is that the wiretaps are not essential to their investigation, and they will still have enough information to move forward with the Articles of Impeachment.
Governor Pledges to Fight, Remain in Office
Despite the onset of impeachment proceedings in Springfield last week, Governor Rod Blagojevich held a press conference in Chicago on Friday vowing to combat the criminal charges brought against him by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. He has also refused to relinquish his duties during the ongoing federal investigation.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected a motion by Attorney General Lisa Madigan requesting that the Governor be declared unfit to serve and temporarily be removed from office.
And, on December 23, U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald refused to help the House Special Investigative Committee in its investigation of the Governor, citing that cooperation with the Committee would compromise his ongoing federal investigation into political corruption.
The Investigative Committee’s deadline for making a recommendation to the House of Representatives was scheduled for January 14, when the 96th General Assembly is sworn into office. However, according to committee members, the U.S. Attorney’s refusal to supply them with requested materials may result in a shorter impeachment investigation against the Governor.
POSTED 12/18/2008
Letter to Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Michael Madigan
December 17, 2008
Dear President Jones and Speaker Madigan:
In light of the Illinois Supreme Court’s rejection of the Attorney General’s request to remove Governor Blagojevich from office and the appropriately deliberative nature of the impeachment proceedings, we believe it is imperative that Illinois move immediately to set a Special Election date for the U.S. Senate vacancy.
Last week, you both scheduled special session dates to do just that. However, during both the House and Senate sessions this week, both of you refused to even allow debate on measures to strip the governor of his appointment powers, even after both of you publicly stated support for such efforts.
As representatives of the state of Illinois, we are called upon to be leaders. It is our obligation to ensure that the wishes of the many are carried out to the very best of our abilities. In light of the very serious charges brought against Governor Blagojevich and the formation of an impeachment committee, it is obvious that he cannot be allowed to appoint the successor to President-elect Obama’s seat. Any appointment to fill this seat by any single individual will be met with skepticism and questioned on ethical standards.
We ask you to call the Illinois General Assembly into Special Session immediately to take up action on legislation that would call for a special election to replace President-elect Obama. There is one group of people we can be sure that has not been tainted by political corruption in Illinois, and that is the electorate.
Sincerely,
Tom Cross, House Republican Leader
Christine Radogno, Senate Republican Leader-Elect
POSTED 12/16/2008
HOUSE APPROVES START OF IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
Michael Madigan Blocks Vote on Special Election
Heeding the call from House Republicans, Illinois House Speaker and 2006 Blagojevich campaign co-chair Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) allowed a vote Monday on House Resolution 1650, legislation creating a special investigative committee to examine the grounds for impeachment against Governor Blagojevich. The committee will then be charged with issuing a report outlining its recommendations to the full House of Representatives either for or against impeachment. The resolution passed the House by a unanimous vote (113-0) late Monday afternoon.
After a week of silence following the Governor’s arrest on December 9, Speaker Madigan held a press conference in Springfield on Monday to announce the structure of the Select Committee on Inquiry, established by the passage of HR 1650. Under the Speaker’s direction, the committee will consist of 21 members; 12 Democrats and 9 Republicans. House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) will chair the committee. The Committee held its first meeting Tuesday morning in the Capitol Building, and will continue to meet daily with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. The committee meetings will be open to the public.
And, despite overwhelming bipartisan support from lawmakers, editorials, government watchdog groups, and public polls, House Democrats led by Speaker Madigan refused to allow consideration of legislation Monday that called for a special election to fill Illinois’ vacant U.S. Senate seat. Rather than permit an open and transparent election by the people of Illinois to fill our U.S. Senate vacancy, House Democrats opted instead to bide their time in hopes of retaining exclusive control of the appointment process.
Contrary to the assertion of those who insist that holding a special election would be cost-prohibitive, a special election could be scheduled to coincide with the pre-existing dates for statewide municipal elections this spring—the February 24 primary and the April 7 general election. Scheduling the special election on these pre-existing dates would greatly reduce the cost involved, compared to holding a separate election on a different day. Clearly then, the vehement opposition to holding a special election because of misconceived costs is a red-herring designed to preserve the appointment power of the majority party rather than open the process up to a free and fair election by the people.
I strongly believe that the people of Illinois deserve to have their voices heard on the choice of who our next Senator will be. The most compelling example we can make to demonstrate that we will not tolerate corruption, insider deals, or bribery to dictate the choice of our next United States Senator would be to hold a special election. With that in mind, I am disappointed that Speaker Madigan will not allow us to consider legislation calling for a special election; instead keeping the appointment power with Governor Blagojevich.
Sandy Cole
State Representative
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