Ill. House Panel's Draft Report: Impeach Gov. Blagojevich
Setting the stage for a historic trial, a special Illinois legislative panel investigating Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich has recommended, in a 69-page draft report (PDF), that he be impeached.
The panel says that Blagojevich, who is a defendant in a federal corruption case, cannot govern Illinois effectively in this situation, and also notes that he has refused to appear before them to rebut the accusations against him in the criminal case, reports the Chicago Tribune in a breaking story.
While his silence, under the Fifth Amendment, couldn’t be held against him in a criminal trial, it can be taken into consideration in an impeachment inquiry, the panel writes.
It also says that the purpose of impeachment isn’t to punish a government official but to protect citizens by removing from office an individual who is abusing his position, the newspaper notes.
“For all the reasons stated in this report and the evidence contained in the record before the committee, the special investigative committee for the Illinois House of Representatives, 95th General Assembly, finds that the totality of the evidence warrants the impeachment of the governor for cause,” the report concludes.
Earlier ABAJournal.com coverage:
Ill. Gov: I’m Not Guilty, ‘Will Fight Until I Take My Last Breath’
Will Rezko or Tapes Prove More Damaging in Case Against Ill. Gov?
