Word: seated
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...hard-knuckle politics into a "political-corruption crime spree." The central allegation is that the governor schemed to extort money and jobs for himself and his wife from the Obama transition team in exchange for naming Obama's preferred candidate (unnamed in the charges) to the open Senate seat. The complaint details Blagojevich's attempts to contact intermediaries to the transition, and in one case it shows him soliciting favors from a union official he identifies as an "emissary." All of this alleged activity was taking place, amazingly, at a time when Blagojevich had every reason to believe...
...election, according to the FBI complaint unsealed Tuesday in Chicago, which is based on wiretapped conversations. In a discussion with his deputy governor on Nov. 5, Blagojevich talked about getting an ambassadorship or a Cabinet position (like Secretary of Health and Human Services) in exchange for the Senate seat. The same day he said, "I've got this thing, and it's f______ golden and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f______ nothing. I'm not gonna...
...Obama transition team. Over the next two days, however, Blagojevich stepped up his efforts. On Nov. 11, Blagojevich told his chief of staff and fellow defendant in the complaint, John Harris, that he knew Obama wanted someone identified in the complaint only as "Senate Candidate 1" for the Senate seat. But, Blagojevich said, "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F___ them." (See the top 10 unfortunate political one-liners...
...Blagojevich then tried to use a union official as an intermediary to the Obama transition and "Senate Candidate 1." On Nov. 12, Blagojevich discussed the open Senate seat with an official from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). During the conversation, Blagojevich said he understood that the SEIU official was an "emissary to discuss Senate Candidate 1's interest" in the seat, according to the complaint. Blagojevich said he would be interested in the 501(c)(4) arrangement, and the SEIU official agreed to "put that flag up and see where it goes." Late Tuesday, an SEIU spokesperson said...
...replacement in the Senate. Despite all the damning charges, Blagojevich still currently has the power to appoint that person. Unless he steps down or he is impeached or convicted, the state constitution gives him, and him alone, that authority. It's possible that the Senate could refuse to seat a Blagojevich appointment, but no one wants to let it go that far. By late Tuesday, it seemed likely that the state legislature would convene a special session to pass an emergency law setting up a special election for the open seat...