Rod Blagojevich on the View

Rod Blagojevich was a guest on The View this Jan. 26, 2009. Instead of focusing his energy on defending himself in person during the Illinois Senate hearings, the Illinois governor opted to make his case on the media circuit, appearing on Good Morning America, The View, and Larry King Live.

Specifically on The View, Blagojevich maintained his innocence, citing an unjust process. He repeatedly mentioned the unfairness of the Senate proceedings, where he and his opposition cannot call witnesses, and how the full recordings of his taped conversations haven't been released.

Barbara Walters, appearing via satellite from Los Angeles, pressed the governor several times on the FBI-released tapings in which the governor was recorded as stating that he wasn't going to give up a Senate seat for nothing.

"If that's not selling the Senate seat, what is?" Walters asked.

Blagojevich would not directly admit to the statements he made in the tapes. He did, however, profess his innocence. "Let me unequivocally state right here before you and the whole country: under no circumstances was I trying to sell a Senate seat. Under no circumstances, did I break any laws," said Blagojevich.

Walters once again asked Blagojevich about his recorded conversations: "Did you say those things?"

Blagojevich replied that the complete tapes will show his conversations in-context and that he said nothing inappropriate. "I can't confirm or deny anything when I haven't had the chance to hear the tapes," the governor said.

Walters also asked why, knowing he was under investigation, he allowed himself to get caught.

"You figure your home is a sanctified place and that your conversations are private," said Blagojevich, adding that once the full tapes are out, the public will see there was no criminal wrongdoing.

After Walters finished her interview, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and Sherri Shepherd asked Blagojevich about his recent revelation that he was interested in Oprah Winfrey as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. The governor confirmed that he did indeed consider her but was worried that it would look like a gimmick to get publicity.

"You and your wife are potty mouths," asked Behar. "What's up with that?"

"It's not something that I'm proud of," Blagojevich said, and he defended his wife as picking up his bad habits. "I was raised in a big city in a tough neighborhood.... You try to get rid of some of those habits. You may have left the neighborhood, but part of that neighborhood never left you."

They also asked Blagojevich why he would appear on media shows, instead of concentrating on his impeachment process in Illinois. Blagojevich once again cited his inability to bring in witnesses.

The show ended on a light note. Behar said that she heard the governor does a "fabulous Nixon impression." "Do it for us," she said, "Come on, 'I am not a crook,' do it!"

"I'm not going to do that," the governor said, laughing. He ended the interview by saying he was not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Senate will be holding proceedings all this week on whether to convict Blagojevich. The Illinois House impeached the governor in a 114-1 vote based on his Dec. 9 arrest, in which the FBI accused him of various corruption charges.

If the Senate votes to convict Blagojevich, he will be removed from office. Pat Quinn, the lieutenant governor, will assume his place. This trial, however, will only have political consequences. For Blagojevich to face any prison time, he must be convicted in a criminal trial.

Sources:

The View. ABC. 26 Jan. 2009.

Pearson, Rick and Ray Long. "In a first for Illinois, Senate to begin impeachment trial." Chicago Tribune.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-blagojevich-trial-bd-25-jan25,0,2473289.story