Blagojevich lawyer says impeachment not justified

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-30 14:58

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich's lawyer said Monday that a vague array of charges and evidence doesn't merit removing the governor from office, and he urged a House committee not to recommend impeachment.

Federal prosecutors filed paperwork Monday to release intercepted telephone conversations of embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, seen here on December 19, 2008, over his alleged plot to sell off president-elect Barack Obama's senate seat. [Agencies]

Attorney Ed Genson complained bitterly that lawmakers were considering snippets of tape-recorded conversations that are quoted in a criminal complaint against the Democratic governor. He said no one knows the full context of those remarks or whether they are quoted accurately.

Blagojevich was arrested by the FBI December 9 on a variety of corruption charges, including scheming to benefit from naming President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the US Senate.

"We are fighting shadows, and that's not right," Genson said. Monday's hearing was the first time Genson has comprehensively responded to the impeachment charges.

The governor denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to fight both impeachment and the criminal charges.

It was clear from the lawmakers' questions that they had little sympathy for Blagojevich or for Genson's arguments.

At one point, Genson grew so frustrated that he pleaded for help.

"Isn't anyone here going to stand up for the governor, or is it going to be one (critic) after the other?" he asked. "This is the impartial panel?"

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors filed a motion Monday asking for court permission to release four of the Blagojevich conversations caught by wiretaps.

According to the motion, the conversations have Blagojevich conspiring with a lobbyist to collect a campaign contribution in exchange for the governor signing gambling legislation.

The motion also revealed that in addition to tapping the governor's phone, investigators monitored the cell phone of a lobbyist not identified in court records.

A judge will hear the motion next week. Genson said he hadn't seen the federal request and didn't know whether he would support the release of the recordings.

Genson told the committee that the quotes from the federal complaint reveal talk but no action. They include the governor talking, sometimes using foul language, about how to benefit from appointing a senator, withholding state money from a children's hospital unless he got a political donation, and pressuring the Chicago Tribune to fire editorial writers.

"It's just talk. That's what it is. Unfortunate talk, talk that shouldn't have been made, perhaps. But not actions," Genson said.

The committee has also reviewed misconduct allegations including claims that Blagojevich unconstitutionally defied legislative decisions, spent money without proper authority and impeded audits of his administration's activities.

If Blagojevich were impeached, the state Senate would then hold a trial to decide whether he's thrown out of office.

Subpoenas released Monday by the Better Government Association show that federal investigators looking into possible hiring fraud in Blagojevich's administration asked for the personnel files of more than a dozen people.

The 2006 subpoenas show investigators even sought documents and computer files that date from January 1, 2003 -- 12 days before Blagojevich was inaugurated.

"It appears the feds are looking at literally every aspect of how he exercised his authority, whether it was legitimate or not," said association executive director Jay Stewart.

The Chicago-based watchdog group sued for the documents after the Blagojevich administration denied a Freedom of Information Act request. A state appeals court ruled last month that Blagojevich had to comply with the request.