WASHINGTON: The man appointed late last year to replace President Barack Obama as US senator for Illinois has informed lawmakers that he did not tell them the complete story of his contacts with associates about impeached governor Rod Blagojevich before he got the job.
That’s right. Just as Illinois was moving past the embarrassment of former Blagojevich’s ouster, the man Blagojevich appointed to the US Senate faced calls on Sunday for his own resignation.
Burris said on Sunday he didn’t have any inappropriate contact with allies of Blagojevich about a vacant Illinois Senate seat, and he defended his evolving explanation of what happened as an effort to make sure all the information comes out.
Illinois Republicans are charging that Burris, seated reluctantly by Democrats in the US Senate, didn’t tell the whole truth at Blagojevich’s impeachment trial.
Last week, Burris quietly filed a supplemental affidavit with Illinois House lawmakers that for the first time acknowledged his contacts with five Blagojevich allies, nearly a month after he testified under oath about how he got the Senate seat. Lawmakers want to know why he didn’t tell Illinois lawmakers about his contact with the allies, including the governor’s brother, when he was testifying on Jan. 8 before the House impeachment committee. At that time, he only mentioned his conversation with former Blagojevich chief of staff Lon Monk.
The admission came in a sworn affidavit filed quietly by Senator Burris last week with the Illinois House, and raises questions about the new senator’s credibility, as the discrepancy could mean he perjured himself.
“I’m disappointed and feel betrayed,” state representative Jack Franks, a Democrat, told reporters on Sunday. “He was sworn to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and it’s obvious that didn’t occur.” (The condition of Senator Burris’ senatorship was that he testify truthfully to the state House committee).
Senate majority leader Harry Reid has been pulled in, and now is reviewing the case, a spokesman said.
Rep. Jim Durkin, the impeachment committee’s ranking Republican, said on Sunday: “I think it would be in the best interest of the state if he resigned, because I don’t think the state can stand this anymore ... I can’t believe anything that’s coming from Mr. Burris, at this point,” said Durkin.
Burris’ efforts to clear up the controversy has had mixed results. Asked at one point whether federal investigators had talked to him or his aides about the Senate appointment, Burris said he had not been questioned.
“What I understand is some of the agents have reached out to my lawyers,” Burris told reporters on Sunday, adding, “They want to meet with me.” Later, Burris attorney Timothy Wright said: “The FBI has not come to us and they’re not asking us for anything.” The news conference was called so Burris could explain why he quietly filed a supplemental affidavit nearly a month after he testified under oath about how he got the Senate seat.
Burris said the hearing did not provide an opportunity to fully answer. He said if lawmakers had followed up, he would have mentioned more of the names.
Even Burris’ local newspapers have not taken his side: The Chicago Sun Times wrote yesterday: “I’ll leave it to the proper investigative bodies to decide whether Roland Burris committed perjury last month in testimony before the Illinois House impeachment committee. From a strict legal perspective, maybe he didn’t.
“But I’ll tell you straight up, our new US senator proved himself to be a lying little sneak.
“The word preposterous comes to my mind to describe Burris’ explanation — and accompanying performance on Sunday — in which he basically says his previous failure to disclose relevant contacts with Rod Blagojevich’s inner circle about the Senate vacancy was simply a matter of everyone else’s failure to ask him the right questions or give him time to answer,” notes the Chicago Sun Times’ editorialist.
