Impeachment Panel Breaks For Ruling On Tapes
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has requested court permission to turn over a handful of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s taped phone conversations to the House impeachment committee. In the meantime, the panel have itself has halted its work at least until a judge hears Fitzgerald's motion on Monday. If it looks like the tapes will be released quickly, Chairwoman Barbara Flynn Currie says the panel will reconvene once they become available. Otherwise, members will resume their work early next week. Meanwhile, Blagojevich’s defense attorney Ed Genson argued before the committee yesterday that his client's “unfortunate” remarks do not justify impeachment.
Feds Taped Cell Of Top Blago Aide
Federal authorities confirmed yesterday that the cellphone of Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, long-time friend and state lobbyist Lon Monk, was also tapped as part of their probe surrounding the governor. Portions of the tapes could be released to the House impeachment panel as part of Fitzgerald’s request, which could shed light on an alleged attempt by the governor to profit from signing a bill that would shift casino revenues to the horse racing industry.
Watchdog Releases Long-Awaited Gubernatorial Subpoenas
After years of wrangling with the Blagojevich administration over access to the documents, the Better Government Association yesterday released the federal subpoenas received by the governor's office, which show that federal investigators began looking into possible hiring fraud in the Blagojevich administration dating back to 2003. “It appears the feds are looking at literally every aspect of how he exercised his authority whether it was legitimate or not,” BGA executive director Jay Stewart told the AP.
IL Breathalizer Law Takes Effect
Beginning on January 1, a new state law will require convicted Illinois drunk drivers to install a device in their car that only allows it to start after they blow into a breathalizer.
Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user likerender.
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