CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges on Tuesday, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said.
While Obama has long distanced himself from the governor — who has been under investigation on other issues for months — Blagojevich’s arrest was likely to be an embarrassment to the president-elect, who takes office on January 20
Blagojevich is a political ally of the President-Elect and he was trying, in part, to leverage the choice of who would fill the vacant Senate seat into a position in the new administration and a job for his wife.
He’s the second Illinois Governor who’s been forced to resign in the face of corruption charges. The last one, a Republican, proved to be a great campaign tool for Democrats. I certainly hope the GOP learned its lesson.
UPDATE: Was Jesse Jackson, Jr one of the bidders for the Senate Seat? Oh, let’s hope!
Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago, Corruption, Democrats
