US governor removed from office by state senate

US governor Rod Blagojevich was thrown out of office without a single politician coming to his defence, brought down by a government-for-sale scandal that stretched from Chicago to Capitol Hill and turned the foul-mouthed politician into a national punchline.

Mr Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, becomes the first US governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.