US governor accused of 'freak show' politics at impeachment vote

Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was impeached by furious colleagues who said he had turned state government into a “freak show”.

The impeachment sets the stage for an unprecedented trial in the state Senate that could get Mr Blagojevich thrown out of office.

The 114-1 vote in the Illinois House yesterday came exactly a month after Democrat Mr Blagojevich’s arrest on charges that included trying to sell US president-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat.

The debate took less than 90 minutes, and not a single legislator rose in defence of the governor, who was jogging in the Chicago snow.

Later, a defiant Mr Blagojevich, 52, again insisted he had committed no crime, and declared: “I’m going to fight every step of the way.”

He portrayed himself as a victim of political payback for his efforts to extend health care and other relief to ordinary people.

“The causes of the impeachment are because I’ve done things to fight for families,” he said at a news conference where he surrounded himself with people that his spokesman Lucio Guerrero said had benefited from the state’s expanded health care programme, including a man in a wheelchair and a kidney transplant recipient. He took no questions.

Mr Blagojevich becomes the first US governor in more than 20 years to be impeached. Arizona’s Evan Mecham was impeached, convicted and removed from office in 1988 for trying to thwart an investigation into a death threat allegedly made by an aide.

No other Illinois governor has been impeached, despite the state’s storied history of corruption – Mr Blagojevich’s immediate predecessor, George Ryan, is behind bars and two earlier governors also went to prison.

The state Senate trial will begin on January 26. While impeachment in the House required only a simple majority, or 60 votes, a two-thirds vote would be needed for conviction in the 59-member Senate.

After his arrest on December 9, Mr Blagojevich defied practically the entire political establishment by appointing someone to the Senate, former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris. That provoked a furore as state and federal officials struggled over whether to seat Mr Burris.

Yesterday the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Mr Burris’ paperwork was valid and that Illinois’ secretary of state did not have to sign his appointment.

But Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, the state’s senior senator, said the Senate would not accept Mr Burris without the signature and therefore efforts to seat him should stop “until that impeachment trial in the Illinois Senate is concluded”.

During the House debate, politicians complained that Blagojevich had made a laughing stock out of the state.

“It’s our duty to clean up the mess and stop the freak show that’s become Illinois government,” said Democratic Rep Jack Franks.

The criminal case against the governor included allegations that he tried to sell the Senate seat for campaign cash or a plum position for himself or his wife, and pressured people into making campaign contributions.

Mr Blagojevich did not testify before the House impeachment committee and has not offered an explanation for the criminal charges.

“His silence in this grave matter is deafening,” said state House majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat.