|
 Bernard Sieracki’s "A Just Cause: The Impeachment
and Removal of Governor Rod Blagojevich" describes the tightrope
that legislators and staff walked for eight weeks as they took
action while a criminal investigation was underway.
Sieracki will sign copies of his book at 6 p.m. and then speak in
Union Theater at 6:30. He’ll be joined in a panel discussion by
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Westchester, and Sen. Andy Manar,
D-Bunker Hill.
To reserve a seat at this free event, visit
www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov and click on “special
event reservations.”
 Blagojevich had been arrested by the FBI and charged with, among
other things, trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat to the highest
bidder. That triggered the legislative effort to oust the governor.
But Blagojevich had not yet been convicted of any crime.
Sieracki details the steps taken by legislators and staff to go
beyond the criminal charges and build a broader case that
Blagojevich was so inept and dishonest that he deserved to be thrown
out of office immediately. They succeeded, and Blagojevich was
ousted on Jan. 29, 2009.
[to top of second column] |
In his foreword, former Gov. Jim Edgar says Sieracki has produced “an important
book” showing that legislators reacted to Blagojevich’s arrest with “some of the
most heartening activity we had seen from the General Assembly in recent years.”
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a division of the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency, is dedicated to telling the story of America’s
16th president through old-fashioned scholarship and modern technology.
The library maintains an unparalleled collection of Lincoln documents,
photographs, artifacts and art. It also has some 12 million items pertaining to
all aspects of Illinois history, making the library one of the nation’s leading
institutions for genealogy and history research.
For more information, visit
www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.
[Shanta Thoele, Communications and
Public Affairs, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency] |
Behind
the scenes of an impeachment
