Day 6 Of The (Blagojevich) Impeachment Hearings

[ProSense]

Day 6 Of The Impeachment Hearings

by Josh Kalven on January 07, 2009 - 5:30pm

The House impeachment committee resumed work today and at center stage were the juicy details of former Illinois Inspector General Zaldwaynaka Scott’s previously confidential report on some dubious political hiring.

It turns out that Gov. Blagojevich apparently used the Department of Employment Security as a dumping ground for political hires, until Scott stepped in to stop it in 2004. Politically connected folks weren’t only leapfrogging over more experienced candidates, some went on to collect undue salaries and vacation time for jobs they were unqualified to fill, the report revealed.

While committee members seemed sincerely outraged, they also looked restless and ready to wrap up the proceedings. It’s pretty clear that they’re ready to deliver an impeachment recommendation to the full House for a vote.

Before that happens, there’s still the matter of Roland Burris’ testimony on his Senate appointment. Tomorrow, the committee will resume it’s work at 3p.m. and Burris will be the main act. If the affidavit he filed earlier this week is any indication, there won’t be much to grill the embattled Senate nominee on.

As for those secretly recorded tapes of the governor offering his signature on a piece of legislation in exchange for signing a bill, they won’t be necessary to finish up the deliberations, Committee Chair Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie said today.

This afternoon, Blagojevich’s attorneys—who were absent from the hearing—filed a court response objecting to federal prosecutors’ request that the recordings be made available to the impeachment panel.

Should a judge decide to make them available anyway, Currie said that they could be used in a Senate impeachment trial.

It was also revealed today that the panel has subpoenaed records from the governor's campaign fund and expects to receive them tomorrow.

[w4rma]

1. What if Reid had seated Burris and before Burris's testimony at the impeachment trial and

evidence comes out that connects Burris to the pay-to-play activity? Or what if Burris isn't cooperative at the trial?

It infuriates me that anyone would want that guy seated right now.

[babylonsister]

2. I hope this festering boil is about to pop. nt

[IsItJustMe]

3. Tell me why a politician spends millions of dollars to get a job that makes 150,000 a year. Wake

the fuck up people, it's called politics. As far as I am concerned, Blago just pissed off the wrong people. He is no different than any of the rest of them. HMMMM. Bill Richardson ring a bell.