Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Arrested: US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald Makes Press Statement

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested and taken into custody on federal corruption charges including pay-for-play schemes and the effort to gain financially from the sale of the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Elect Barack Obama. U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald held a press conference regarding the charges against the politician that he described as shocking and appalling.Fitzgerald stated that President Abraham Lincoln would be rolling over in his grave at this news. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in FBI Custody on Federal Corruption Charges

The Chicago Tribune broke the news that The Illinois Governor had been arrested and taken from his home on the north side of Chicago on Tuesday morning.

In the statement by the FBI, Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (51) and his Chief of Staff, John Harris (46) were arrested by FBI agents on corruption charges. On December 9, 2008, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, held a press conference which was televised on ABC Chicago News at 11 am.

Also appearing in the press conference was Rob Grant, Agent in Charge. Grant described the Tuesday morning arrest as without incident. Grant said that agents called Blagojevich on his home telephone at about 6:00 am this morning. Blagojevich was informed that there were two FBI agents outside his door to take him into custody. The FBI asked that the arrest be conducted quietly, without press presence and without waking the governor's family. The governor first asked if he call was a joke, but checked and found it as for real. He reported to the door, as requested, while his family was just starting to stir.

Blagojevich and Harris are each expected to appear and the U.S. District Court in Chicago this afternoon.

As a democratic candidate, Blagojevich had campaigned on a platform of cleaning up corruption in the Illinois Government. Instead he has accelerated the corruption in pay-for-play schemes and quid pro quo.

FBI Wiretaps intercepted conversations which led to the federal charges against Rod Blagojevich and Harris. In the televised press conference Fitzpatrick described conversations in which Blagojevich stated the need to get as much money from contractors as possible.

One specific subject was the pay-to-play agreement with an official at Children's Memorial Hospital. The hospital had been granted $8 million in exchange for a $100,000 campaign contribution. When the official did not contribute the money, Rod Blagojevich threatened to pull back the hospital funding.

The wiretap also picked up conversations about a plan to pull funding from Illinois casinos and shifting it to money to horse racing. Governor Blagojevich was taped making a statement that the person needed to get their $100,000 contribution in. He also made a statement about making a phone call from a pressure point of view.

Blagojevich allegedly extorted the Chicago Tribune by threatening to block the sale of the Chicago Cub's Wrigley Field, a Tribune Company. The governor presented the Chicago Tribune with a list of editors that he wanted fired in exchange for approval on the Wrigley Field transaction.

In what Fitzgerald referred to as the most cynical aspect of the governor's conduct, Blagojevich was allegedly selling the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama, to the highest bidder. In Illinois the governor has the sole power to appoint the vacated seat, power which Blagojevich was making moves to use for his own personal gain and greed. Blagojevich stated that the U.S. Senate seat and that he was not just going to give it away, according to Fitzgerald. Methods that the governor attempted to use to profit from the sale of political office by upfront payment, exchange of jobs and greater power.

There were even conversations in which the Illinois governor allegedly entertained to option of appointing himself to the U.S. Senate seat, positioning himself for a 2016 run for U.S. President, generating speaking fees and avoiding the possibility of impeachment as governor of Illinois.

Fitzpatrick called the behavior of the democratic politician as appalling. FBI agents who were privy to the tapes were shocked by what they heard on the wiretaps.

Fitzpatrick emphasized that only two people were charged and that people, particularly reporters, should not cast aspersions on people who were not charged. At this the case is against Rod Blagojevich and John Harris, Chief of Staff.

The FBI investigation is ongoing, as they still have a massive amount of evidence to process. Fitzpatrick asked citizens with information to step forward if they have any information regarding possible government corruption.

Fitzpatrick credited the FBI, U.S. Postal Service and IRS for their roles in their investigation.

Fitzpatrick also acknowledged The Chicago Tribune, who could have broke a story eight weeks ago that would have compromised the FBI investigation. In response to a request by the FBI, the Tribune held the story. The Tribune finally did publish much of the story on December 5, 2008.

Reporters asked Fitzpatrick to make a statement about whether Blagojevich should resign or whether the Illinois Legislature should convene a special session to impeach the governor. Fitzpatrick said that although he had a personal opinion, he would not use the seal of his office to state it. Officially the FBI has no opinion.

Reporters at the press conference expressed concern that as long as Blagojevich was in office, he would continue to have power over the U.S. Senate seat and pay-for-play schemes.

Fitzpatrick responded to that concern by saying that bringing the alleged criminal activity into the open would make it more difficult for the governor to conduct business as usual.

Blagojevich is not the first Illinois governor with legal woes, three of the past eight have served prison time.