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Impeachment call for Blagojevich Impeachment vote for Blagojevich
(about 9 hours later)
A investigative panel of state senators in the American state of Illinois has recommended the impeachment of Governor Rod Blagojevich. A panel of legislators in the US state of Illinois has recommended impeachment for Governor Rod Blagojevich.
He denies seeking to sell President-elect Barack Obama's US Senate seat for personal gain. The move paves the way for an impeachment vote by the state House of Representatives, expected on Friday.
The panel of state representatives said the evidence showed he was not fit to be governor, paving the way for an impeachment vote by the full house. If the chamber votes in favour of impeachment, Mr Blagojevich would then be tried by the state Senate, which could remove him from office.
Mr Blagojevich was arrested last month on a range of corruption charges. Mr Blagojevich denies seeking to sell President-elect Barack Obama's US Senate seat for personal gain.
The man he appointed to succeed Mr Obama, Roland Burris, told the panel that he had made no deals with the governor to gain the appointment.
Mr Blagojevich has always maintained his innocence and rejected calls that he should resign but he did not appear before the Illinois state committee to defend himself.
The Illinois House could vote as early as Friday on whether to make Mr Blagojevich the first governor impeached in Illinois history, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Unanimous voteUnanimous vote
The 21 members of the Illinois House panel voted unanimously to impeach the governor. The 21 members of the Illinois House of Representatives panel looked at testimony from FBI agents who wiretapped phone calls to and from the governor's office about who should fill Barack Obama's Senate seat.
They had looked at testimony from FBI agents who wiretapped phone calls to and from the governor's office about who should fill Barack Obama's Senate seat. I think this is a good, glad, happy day for Illinois because it points out that nobody is above the law Bill BlackRepublican representative class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7806596.stm">Q&A: The Blagojevich scandal It is alleged the conversations show that Mr Blagojevich, a second-term Democrat, was trying to use the seat to get himself or his wife a job.
It is alleged the conversations show that Rod Blagoyovitch was trying to use the seat to get himself or his wife a job. The panel said the evidence showed Mr Blagojevich was not fit to be governor, and voted unanimously to proceed to an impeachment vote.
"I think this is a good, glad, happy day for Illinois because it points out that nobody is above the law," said Representative Bill Black, a Republican."I think this is a good, glad, happy day for Illinois because it points out that nobody is above the law," said Representative Bill Black, a Republican.
"There have been egregious abuses if half of what we read is true." "There have been egregious abuses if half of what we read is true," he said.
Roland Burris was appointed to replace Barack ObamaMr Blagojevich issued a statement saying the impeachment proceedings "were flawed, biased and did not follow the rules of law".
"When the case moves to the Senate, an actual judge will preside over the hearings, and... the outcome will be much different," he said.
Earlier, the man he appointed to succeed Mr Obama, Roland Burris, told the same panel that he had made no deals with the governor to gain the appointment.
In Washington on Tuesday, Democrat senators refused to seat Mr Burris when new lawmakers were sworn in, saying that no-one appointed by Mr Blagojevich could be credible or effective.