* 6:32 pm - The timing couldn’t be worse for Burris…
Federal authorities questioned U.S. Senator Roland Burris today at his lawyer’s office — a long-awaited interview involving his U.S. Senate seat appointment — the Sun-Times-NBC/5 team has learned.
Burris is not accused of wrongdoing but was questioned in the case that centers on ousted Gov. Blagojevich and his alleged attempts to sell President Obama’s former seat.
Authorities interviewed Burris on a Saturday at his lawyer’s office, ostensibly to keep the exchange out of the limelight Burris has recently found himself in.
Burris admitted last week that his lawyers were in contact with the FBI about sitting for an interview, but denied that the contact was his motivation for controversially amending sworn testimony before a House impeachment panel.
[Burris] has been informed he is not a target of the probe, the sources said.
Burris this past week had acknowledged that federal investigators wanted to talk to him about what he knows regarding Blagojevich’s decision to fill the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
He said his attorneys had been working for some time to set up a meeting. It was not related to the two recently started probes into how forthcoming Burris was to Illinois lawmakers and the public about his contacts with Blagojevich allies.
Burris is expected, in fact, to make staff appointments Monday — including a replacement for a recent chief of staff who resigned Friday, and a legislative director.
The junior senator has indicated to associates that he intends to fight the controversy because he doesn’t believe he’s engaged in any wrongdoing.
* Rep. Sara Feigenholtz has taken out a $100,000loan for her campaign. That shows a whole lot of confidence in her future, but it also may show that fundraising isn’t quite keeping pace.
The Democratic state representative from Chicago said she is doing so because she is “close to winning” the party’s nomination in the March 3 primary for the seat vacated by new White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
“I want to put my money where my mouth is,” she said.
* This is a salient point, but the analogy is lacking, considering the result of that race…
Aides for some of the male candidates in the race say they’ve struggled to find a line of attack against Feigenholtz without looking like they are attacking a woman. It’s a problem similar to one that Barack Obama had during much of his primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.
* Money raised as of Feb. 11th (48 hour totals and independent expenditures are not included here)…
• State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz: $550,000
• State Rep. John Fritchey: $454,310
• Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley: $303,180
• Labor lawyer Tom Geoghegan: $240,000
• Economist Charlie Wheelan: $230,500
• Dr. Paul Bryar: $180,000 (+ $75,000 loans and donations from Bryar = $255,000)
• Dr. Victor Forys: $115,000 (+ $20,000 loans and donations from Forys = $135,000)
• Former pilot Jan Donatelli: $83,000
• Ald. Patrick O’Connor: $50,690
* Progress Illinois has a rundown of policy differences between the various Democratic candidates.
Three weeks ago I was temporarily detailed to serve as Chief of Staff to Senator Roland W. Burris. Though my tenure was relatively brief, I enjoyed and valued my time with Senator Burris, his entire staff and his other advisors.
As of today, my role as Interim Chief of Staff to Senator Burris will end. I will resume, in full, my duties as Senior Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
I wish Senator Burris and his family the best.
Sincerely,
Darrel Thompson
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* The President’s message to Sen. Roland Burris was subtle but clear…
In what sounded like a veiled threat, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called on Sen. Roland Burris to “take some time over the weekend” to explain once and for all exactly what happened before his appointment to the Senate and to consider “his future.”
While not saying that President Barack Obama would join the swelling chorus for Burris to quit the Senate seat, Gibbs left the impression that something like that could happen if the White House is left unsatisfied with Burris’s actions in coming days.
“The appointment of Sen. Burris and his taking the Senate seat was based largely on the … factual representations that he made to the people of Illinois through interviews and through his testimony to the impeachment committee,” Gibbs said.
“It has been reported extensively (that) some of the stories seem to be at variance with what’s happened and that the president is supportive of an investigation that would get some full story out. I think it might important for Sen. Burris to take some time this weekend to either correct what has been said and certainly think of what lays in his future,” Gibbs said.
* And a likely candidate calls for Burris’ resignation…
Illinois state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias today joined other statewide officers in calling for Sen. Roland Burris to resign.
“Senator Burris’ statements have been misleading at best and make clear he was not upfront or forthright during his testimony before the Illinois House Impeachment Committee. He violated the public’s trust, which sorely needed restoring following the governor’s impeachment,” Giannoulias said in a statement.
* Notice that the operative word here is “could” and not “will”…
The Senate Ethics Committee could complete its inquiry of Roland W. Burris within weeks and without waiting for any possible criminal case about discrepancies in statements about his appointment, lawyers familiar with the panel said Friday.
Committee investigations sometimes last months and often defer to criminal cases, such as in last year’s trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. But because Burris, an Illinois Democrat, has offered multiple explanations about how he was appointed, the committee could focus on how he was seated rather than results of a potential criminal charge of perjury.
“The committee could look at this and say that the core activities here really go to the Senate appointment,” said Robert L. Walker of Wiley Rein LLP, a former chief counsel and staff director for the Senate and House ethics committees. “The committee could look at those as core Senate issues and we’re going to look at those and not defer.”
* Eric Zorn zaps one of the goofier arguments made today. And Congress Matters obliterates one of the goofiest arguments made this week.
* I told subscribers about this earlier, but WTAX has a story up so here you go…
While the House is considering a seven-billion-dollar building and construction plan, Senate Democrats are working on a 25-billion dollar plan.
The House proposal would be funded by an eight-cent [per gallon motor fuel tax] hike. The Senate plan may take an up to 23-cent [per gallon motor fuel tax] hike, and income tax hike, and perhaps an increase in the state’s driver’s license and title fees.
Democrat Senator Martin Sandoval says he wants the larger, more robust and comprehensive plan because it would fund roads and bridges, plus schools, parks, libraries, police and fire stations, and more.
Sandoval said the tax increase would range somewhere between 16 and 23 cents per gallon. He also said the Senate Democrats believe that it will be Gov. Quinn who will propose an income tax increase.
* Do you use any networking websites like FaceBook, Twitter, etc.? Which ones? How do you use them? How often do you use them? How useful or entertaining are they? Explain fully. Thanks.
* 11:07 am - The Tribune has live video of the governor’s press confernce. He’s expected to talk about a special election for the US Senate seat currently held by Roland Burris.
I’m hugely distracted right now with work, so any help you can give in comments would be appreciated.
* 11:13 am - “Only” 13 minutes late.
Quinn says he supports a bill by Rep. Jack Franks. Here’s the summary…
Requires that a special election be held to fill a vacancy in the office of United States Senator occurring 90 or more days before the general primary immediately preceding the general election at which the office is regularly scheduled to be filled. Requires a temporary gubernatorial appointment for any vacancy in the office of United States Senator until the vacancy is filled at the special election or the general election at which the office is regularly scheduled to be filled
* 11:19 am - Quinn just called on Burris to resign, saying he needs to do what’s right for the people of Illinois.
* 11:26 am - Rep. Franks’ bill in its current form would not apply to Sen. Burris. But Franks just said he is amenable to amending the bill to make it apply to the current situation.
Quinn on the proposal: If Franks’ bill passes, likely would be litigated. Best thing would be for Burris to resign.
* The governor said he would find a way to “help” local governments pay for a special election.
* Quinn: If he chose a temporary replacement it would be someone who has no interest in running for the office.
* “I have not spoken to Sen. Burris about this matter.”
* Quinn said if Burris resigned he would talk to every legislator and tell them the special election bill is of “paramount interest to the people of Illinois.”
* Won’t name replacement until law is passed, “Hopefully within a week.”
* Quinn said, “In passing, I saw Speaker Madigan at dinner last night” and mentioned to Madigan that he is “for this concept” of the special election. How did Madigan respond? “He’s a fellow who likes to aborb information and he’ll give you his opinion down the road.” That’s a pretty good insight.
A Chicago minister tells The Associated Press he and other black pastors who previously supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now plan to ask the embattled senator to resign.
The minister, who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because a meeting with Burris hadn’t yet been scheduled, says the senator can no longer serve effectively.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a different way of doing business for some African-American pastors who seem all too willing to loudly support seriously flawed political allies. They got played badly by Rod Blagojevich for years, and their support for him after his arrest was embarassing.
If U.S. Sen. Roland Burris misled the Illinois House impeachment committee with a false account of his appointment, he did the same thing with the Illinois Supreme Court last month.
In a lawsuit to force Secretary of State Jesse White to certify his appointment to the Senate, Burris submitted the now-discredited Jan. 5 sworn statement to the state High Court that he earlier had sent to the House panel. The affidavit said it would “set the record straight” about his appointment and show it was “free of taint and entirely lawful.” […]
“He went to the highest court in our state and lied,” said Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago), who said Burris should be stripped of the law license he has held since 1964.
* This revelation isn’t hugely egregious, but it shows how intensely Burris lobbied for himself…
A former top official for then- Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday he got a “courtesy call” from Roland Burris last fall noting Burris’ interest in a vacant U.S. Senate seat—a contact Burris failed to mention to lawmakers in his evolving testimony about how he got the job.
John Filan, former chief operating officer in Blagojevich’s administration, also said Burris called him later—after Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on federal corruption charges. Filan said Burris asked him to put in a good word with then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn if Quinn became governor and inherited the power to make the Senate appointment.
The part that troubles me most is that Burris met with Filan about official state business and brought up his appointment…
Filan said Burris was inquiring about legal business for the Illinois Finance Authority on behalf of the law firm for which he was of counsel. But he also brought up his continued interest in the Senate seat, Filan said. “I think he [Burris] basically said, ‘If it were to come to pass that Pat Quinn would become the governor, would you put a good word in for me?’ ” Filan recalled. “I didn’t do that, however.”
Having met with his advisers and decided to fight calls for his resignation, embattled Sen. Roland Burris relaunched his listening tour of Illinois on Friday, but without the reporters who planned to follow him again.
Emerging from his South Side home early morning, Burris quickly entered a vehicle waiting for him outside his home — and shut the door without taking questions from reporters.
* Sen. Dick Durbin cranks up the rhetoric, but stops short of demanding Burris’ resignation…
“It’s sickening,” Durbin said in an interview. “Short of Roland Burris resigning or resolving this issue - if he can, and I don’t know if he can - I don’t know what will stop it. I’m tired of this Blagojevich burlesque that’s been going on for so long. The people of our state should be spared this.”
* The Tribune demands that Democrats take a stand on Burris’ resignation, and the Rockford paper makes this claim…
Burris obviously forgot how harsh the spotlight can be and how uncomfortable questions can become when you say yes to a man who, as prosecutors said, was in the midst of a “corruption crime spree.”
He’s been getting a pass from the Illinois media for so long that he really had no clue what he was in for.
Illinois Republicans resurrected calls Thursday for a special election targeted at removing U.S. Sen. Roland Burris from office. […]
They also want a one-time only special election this spring to fill the seat now held by Burris.
Gov. Quinn appears to back the concept, but Speaker Madigan is not enthralled…
But Democrats, who control the legislative agenda, aren’t on board. A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan said Thursday the GOP proposal could result in a protracted legal battle by Burris, as well as cost local election authorities millions of dollars.
“It would be the constitutional equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, but desperate times call for desperate measures,” wrote Garrett Epps, a law professor at the University of Baltimore, who first pointed out the loophole on the political news and opinion Web site Salon.com.
The state teacher’s pension system will no longer do business with an investment firm tied to recently indicted political powerbroker William Cellini.
Today’s decision by the board of the Teacher’s Retirement System to drop Commonwealth Realty Advisors from its portfolio was “an investment strategy decision,” said an agency spokeswoman.
Commonwealth managed $1.2 billion in nationwide retail development investments for TRS.
That contract instead was awarded to another company, Heitman, which deals in real estate.
The company that laid off 1,600 steel workers when it idled its Granite City plant in December says it’s handing out pink slips to most of those who remained on the job.
United States Steel Corp. spokesman John Armstrong says the majority of the nearly 400 workers still at the Granite City Works plant will be laid off within the next three weeks.
About 390 union and nonunion workers soon will join more than 1,600 workers who were already laid off from the steel mill in December. The move virtually shuts down the remaining operations at the mill.
* Chicago’s Olympic Plan Gives Hints About Traffic Congestion, Transit Improvements
Among the many details in Chicago’s 534-page Olympic bid book…is the city’s plan for moving spectators and athletes during the games. Some residents say it also provides a pretty good clue about the difficulties they’ll have getting around, if the city wins the bid.
In a rebuke of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, commissioners are calling for harsher penalties to be imposed on politicians who don’t meet state deadlines for disclosing their campaigns’ donors and expenses.
The resolution, which called on the General Assembly to change campaign finance laws, was approved 9-2 on Wednesday, with three usual Stroger allies supporting the measure. Three other Stroger supporters voted present.
Commissioners Forrest Claypool and Mike Quigley, both Chicago Democrats, proposed the measure in response to a Tribune story about how Stroger’s campaign last month finally gave a detailed account of what he raised and spent since he first sought his current post in early 2006. The records showed he failed to report $733,000 in political donations by the deadlines set in state law.
