 Top Republicans and Democrats are both trying to focus on what the
jury in Chicago did and not what it didn't do after hearing the
evidence against the former governor.Current Gov. Pat Quinn said
Blagojevich has been convicted, but Quinn acknowledges the former
governor’s ultimate fate has yet to be decided.
"The other 23 counts that are unresolved have to be decided by
another jury," Quinn said.
Quinn's opponent this fall, state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington,
was a little more blunt about his frustration that there could be
another Blagojevich trial.
"While we hoped this decision would mark the end of an
unfortunate chapter and put this embarrassing episode behind us,
today's conviction of Rod Blagojevich for lying to federal law
enforcement officials will likely result in further action in the
pursuit of justice," Brady said in a statement.
Illinois Republican Party boss Pat Brady fired off a statement
that tied the verdict to the November election and the "politics of
the past."
"The entire case was a black eye for Illinois, but made even
worse by the fact that Pat Quinn, Mike Madigan and the Democrats
stood by this man, supported his re-election and later denied the
public the right to a special election for the U.S. Senate seat
Blagojevich had tried to sell," said an Illinois GOP statement.
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said the Illinois
General Assembly has been proved correct by the conviction on only a
single count.
"While jurors deadlocked on many charges, they clearly confirmed
the former governor's pattern of dishonesty. As I said last January
on the day the Senate delivered our verdict, this is a sad occasion.
There's no pleasure or relief in this outcome."
[to top of second column] |
The Illinois Senate convicted Blagojevich in January 2009 after
the House impeached him. The Senate's actions ousted Blagojevich
from office, putting then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn in the governor's
office.
Cullerton's Republican counterpart in the state Senate, GOP
Leader Christine Radogno, said she is worried that people may not
see the verdict as proof that lawmakers did do the right thing.
"One of my biggest concerns is that the Blagojevich defense team
may have convinced people that he was just practicing politics as
usual in Illinois. If that is the case, it is a real indictment of
the political leadership in this state. If there is one thing that
elected officials need to do in Illinois, it is to send a strong
signal that the politics of the past are over, regardless of what
the final verdict may be in the Blagojevich trial," said a statement
from Radogno.
Quinn, who on Wednesday must face an Illinois State Fair crowd
that was focused on his re-election, tried to distance himself from
any Blagojevich hangover come November.
Quinn said he's trying "not to focus" on the campaign now. And he
said he hopes "the people of Illinois know they have a governor who
fights for honesty every day of my life."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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