Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor indicted on charges of attempted extortion and fraud, pleaded not guilty before a federal judge in Chicago. Blagojevich, 52, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel in Chicago federal court. ...

Tagged with: Barack Obama Chicago extortion Robert Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich

Gov. Jay Nixon’s pick for director of the Department of Economic Development was approved by the Missouri Senate on Tuesday, but not before a St. Charles County senator delivered a fiery rebuke of the governor. Several Republican senators had been ...

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Raymond Stanford has followed Illinois politics for decades, studying newspapers and watching television news. Even so, he doesn’t recognize the state’s new governor. “I don’t know nothing about Pat Quinn,” said Stanford, 48. “Who is he? All I know is ...

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Rod Blagojevich, the 40th governor of Illinois and the subject of federal corruption charges including the attempted sale of President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, was convicted of abuse of power by state legislators. He is to be removed from office. The Illinois senate voted to convict Blagojevich on one article of impeachment. A two-thirds vote was required. In a speech before the senate at the state capitol in Springfield, Blagojevich said Thursday he never "intended to violate any law" and that his conviction on unproven charges would set a "dangerous precedent."

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Dan Webb, the Winston & Strawn chairman defending a former Illinois Republican Party leader accused of corruption, may continue to represent his client, a judge ruled, denying a government disqualification request. Federal prosecutors argued that Webb should be barred from ...

Tagged with: conflict of interest Dan Webb disqualification Patrick Fitzgerald Rod Blagojevich Tony Rezko William F. Cellini

Photo by Mark Cowan, Bloomberg News Illinois State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald, center, convenes the members of the state senate on the opening day of the impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the state capitol in Springfield, Ill., ...

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Sprinting furiously to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the radioactive Rod Blagojevich, Democrats for weeks seemed not to notice certain obvious truths. Law trumps politics. Blagojevich remains governor of Illinois. He is an innocent man under ...

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There have been other shocking press conferences, the kind that make you call home and say, “Turn on the TV, quick.” There was former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey coming out of nowhere to declare, “I am a gay American.” ...

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Blagojevich seeks to disqualify Fitzgerald from case Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama, asked a judge to disqualify Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald from the case. In papers ...

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Extension granted in Blagojevich case Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was granted a 90-day extension to obtain an indictment against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom he has accused of corruption in a criminal complaint. U.S. District Judge James Holderman in ...

Tagged with: Barack Obama Bill Clinton California corruption Cuba grand jury Guantanamo Bay H&R Block James Holderman lawsuit Patrick Fitzgerald prison Rod Blagojevich settle U.S. Justice Department