Burris to testify thursday before Blago impeachment panel

[yourguide]

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/01/burris-to-testify-before-impeachment-panel.html

Burris to testify before impeachment panel
January 6, 2009 at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

SPRINGFIELD -- Roland Burris, denied entrance into the U.S. Senate today, is scheduled to appear Thursday before an Illinois House panel looking into the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Burris, who was appointed by Blagojevich to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, will be at the Statehouse in Springfield for testimony before the impeachment committee at 3 p.m. Thursday, said Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). Burris' spokesman confirmed the appearance.

The appearance follows a subpoena issued by the committee at the request of Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), the GOP spokesman on the committee. Durkin has maintained Burris needs to explain to the committee how the appointment unfolded.

Burris is not accused of any wrongdoing. But Blagojevich faces federal charges of trying to sell the Senate seat before he was arrested Dec. 9. He offered the appointment to Burris late last month.

House Majority Leader Barbara Currie (D-Chicago), who chairs the impeachment panel, has said she does not expect Burris' appearance to be relevant to the impeachment hearing but wanted to go along with the Republican request.

Currie said she believes it's "laughable" to think Blagojevich, following his Dec. 9 arrest by the FBI, would have proposed a "quid pro quo" to Burris. She added that Burris would not have accepted one under any circumstance.

--Ray Long and Monique Garcia

[Crabby Appleton]

1. Maybe Fitz will arrest him when he shows up.

RICO charge

[yourguide]

2. That would be miraculous!

[olkaz]

3. Laughable? Not exactly.

After hearing those tapes and seeing how Burris did a complete 180 on Blagojevich, attention is absolutely warranted.