There are growing calls for a perjury investigation of Senator Roland W. Burris of Illinois after he acknowledged that the brother of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich sought campaign fund-raising help before his appointment to succeed Barack Obama in the Senate. Burris notably failed to mention the demand in prior sworn statements.
Burris now admits that the former governor’s brother, Robert, had called him three times in October and November to seek fund-raising help.
The Illinois committee looking into the matter specifically asked Burris if any of Mr. Blagojevich’s top confidants approached him with such an offer, including specifically Robert Blagojevich.
Burris is now arguing that there was a “fluid nature” to the questions and answers. He insists that his answers are consistent. Even with the greatest fluidity, critics insist that it is hard to see how Burris missed repeated conversations with an expressly named individual. The intentional omission of such information would make for a credible claim of false information being given to the committee. No one is suggesting that Burris received the seat as a quip pro quo arrangement, but that he gave incomplete answers. Prosecutors have brought perjury charges on the omission of material facts.
For the full story, click here.
Well seamus, after many topics, posts, and cogent debates within this and other fora regarding Mr. Burris, I guess your *profound* statement just ‘bout sums it up.
Burris is a poo poo head.
Or to paraphrase Oscar “The Grouch” Wilde,
“To lose one conversation is a tragedy. To lose four is simply careless.”
It just keeps getting worse for Burris.
This guy is a disgrace. And he still insists he won’t resign. At least it will be fun watching him get impeached.
____
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged trying to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich before being appointed to the Senate.
According to a transcript posted on the Chicago Tribune’s Web site, Burris told reporters Monday night in Peoria that after the ex-governor’s brother called him, he talked to some friends about putting together a fundraiser.
Burris says he told Rob Blagojevich shortly after the November election that he couldn’t get anyone to contribute.
Burris testified to a committee that recommended impeaching the governor that he had told only one Blagojevich associate he was interested in being senator and never offered anything in return.
But he released an affidavit over the weekend indicating he had spoken to four others, and that he was asked for fundraising help.
___
Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
Jill,
“As to Burris,
He needed to be seated to uphold the rule of law. Now he needs to be unseated for the same reason.”
Well said.
whooliebacon,
That money went to good people. You are unpatriotic for thinking otherwise. I can’t believe you’re that cynical.
As to Burris,
He needed to be seated to uphold the rule of law. Now he needs to be unseated for the same reason.
Robo-Greta
Were’s the 58 billion Bush sent in cash to Iraq?
Greta,
Buddha had it right. What facts do you have at your disposal that the stimulus package has 200 billion in waste??? What, Rush didn’t tell you? Sean didn’t tell you?? That’s OK. We understand.
greta,
Just think, if you only had a brain. And YOUR God is about right, troll. The God Money seems to worry you more than social stability. Afraid you’re not going to get to steal any of it like you did under Bush?
There are plenty of reasons to not like Burris. Your trollish nonsense isn’t one of them though.
Thankfully, you Neocon dupes haven’t gotten your way and made being a venal idiot, pardon me, Fundamentalist Neocon, mandatory.
Just think, if Burris had not been seated, Obama’s trillion dollar ‘stimulus” fiasco may not have passed without more solid cuts to the waste in it.
Shame that Americans got ripped out of maybe two hundred billion in waste in this stimulus bill because Roland Burris lied under oath.
Our God must be shaking his head at his creation – saying oyee, oyeee, oyee.
Buddha,
I hope Conyers sticks to his guns and demands sworn testimony on subjects of the committee’s choosing. Rove is so dirty that when the truth comes out on his political dealings with Siegelman and the DOJ, he will make Blago look like an amateur.
I think the fact that the FBI had Roland on one of his phone calls to the Blago people might have had something to do with him coming out with the new,new truth. I think we stand a better chance with a Gov. Quinn appointee.
Corruption is not too off topic, so let’s see what this means for our boys in the DOJ scandal . . .
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Lawyer_Rove_wont_take_Fifth_if_0216.html
Mespo,
“I told you so” is fine and correct in this case; however, I think there is value in this process by allowing all of us to learn about the often hidden pitfalls of the legislative process. Right or wrong, Burris might still receive exoneration.
Not to be an “I told you so,” but I did. He should never have been seated given his close association with the disgraced Governor Bouffant-evich. There were grounds to hold this seating in abeyance and avoid another stain on Congress already tattered reputation.
Mr. Burris has proven to be desperate and grasping, his hunger for the Senate seat overpowering any reflective consideration, judgment or common sense.
When I originally posted the cartoon (in the linked item below) in another forum I was attacked as a racist, but far from racism, my intent was to demonstrate the willingness of Mr. Burris to be manipulated by Rod Blagojevich, no matter how that might taint him, to satisfy his hunger for a Senate seat that he would probably never be elected to on his own, under normal circumstances.
In the end, it seems that Mr. Burris has only sullied his reputation, because like many other politician’s, he has forgotten that the whole point of achieving a political office is to serve the people who put you there (the electorate), fair and square. The purpose of higher elective office is not to burnish one’s own image or insure a richly rewarded (in financial terms or in terms of status) career, it is to serve the collective interests of the people.
http://thebfdblog.com/2009/01/03/who-pulls-rolands-strings/
Appointing this Burris was a huge mistake to being with. He was too close to the taint of Blago from the get go for something like this not to surface. And honestly? The guy strikes me as having all the sincerity of a used car salesman at a Hummer dealership. Always has.
Out of principle, I supported Burris’ seating as an Illinois senator. His apparent ambiguity with direct questioning to people who were giving him the full benefit of the doubt is unfortunate. Burris should consider resigning to save the Illinois electorate and legislature more political shame and hardship.
I was wondering your take on this Professor.
>The Illinois committee looking into the matter specifically >asked Burris if any of Mr. Blagojevich’s top confidants >approached him with such an offer, including specifically >Robert Blagojevich.
Let’s see, he was asked direct and specific pertinent questions and answered “No”. The real answer, by his own admission, should have been, “Yes”. He was under oath at the time. How is there even a question about whether or not he prejured himself? One wonders what the “fluid nature” of the questioning could have been. I believe Mr Burris was at one time the Ill. AG.
The Senate Dems took great pains to interrogate Mr Burris out of an abundance of caution. They were skeptical from the beginning. He maintained his lie to them as well. Fairness says they should toss him out and allow the new Governor to make the appointment.