Impeachment row governor 'victim of tax plot'

Embattled Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich launched a full-on media blitz days before the start of a state impeachment trial that could lead to his removal.

Mr Blagojevich portrayed himself as the victim of vengeful politicians eager to throw him out of office so they could raise taxes.

“The heart and soul of this has been a struggle of me against the system,” Democrat Mr Blagojevich, who is accused among other things of trying to sell President Barack Obama’s vacant US Senate seat, said.

The combative approach is a favourite Blagojevich tactic. Since taking office six years ago, het has often portrayed himself as a lone champion of the people, outnumbered by uncaring politicians, a lazy bureaucracy and slick lobbyists.

“I took that system on. I challenged that system,” he said yesterday. “That’s what this is all about.”

The governor, had until yesterday kept mostly out of the public eye since his December 9 arrest on corruption charges.

He denied any wrongdoing but would not discuss the corruption charges, instead focusing on his efforts to expand government health care programmes without raising taxes.

Those efforts, he claimed, had angered the state political establishment so much that they had impeached him unfairly and were on the verge of convicting him in a Senate trial.

“Political figures in Illinois are just waiting to get me out of the way to raise the income tax,” he said.

Mr Blagojevich has chosen not to mount any defence in the Senate impeachment trial that begins on Monday and could remove him from office within days. He may ask the Illinois Supreme Court to block the trial, arguing its rules are hopelessly biased against him.

It is not clear what, if anything, Mr Blagojevich hopes to gain from his strategy of boycotting the impeachment trial and defending himself through the media.

Several legal experts said they could see some benefit to participating in the trial or resigning office. But refusing to do either made little sense, they said.

“There’s no benefit at all, except to make himself look ridiculous. In addition, anything he says can be used against him later in court,” said Leonard Cavise, a law professor at DePaul University.

Meanwhile Mr Blagojevich’s lead lawyer said he was resigning from the governor’s criminal case because his client would not take his advice.

“I never require a client to do what I say, but I do require them to at least listen,” Ed Genson, one of Chicago’s best-known lawyers, said. “I intend to withdraw as counsel in this case.”

Mr Genson has represented such clients as rock star R Kelly and press baron Conrad Black.

The FBI arrested Mr Blagojevich on a variety of corruption charges, including the allegation that he schemed to benefit from his power to name Mr Obama’s replacement in the US Senate.

His arrest triggered impeachment proceedings and the House voted almost unanimously to send his case to the Senate for trial. A Senate conviction would remove him from office but would have no impact on the continuing criminal case.