CongressionalBadBoys.com | home | Blagojevich Rod R. Blagojevich Selling Barack Obama's former Senate seat Update:  April 15, 2009.  Blagojevich pleads not guilty to 16 federal criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy.  Waxing poetic, Blago (paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt) said, "Black care never catches a rider whose pace is fast enough. . . . You got that?"  Huh  On December 9, 2008, Illinois governor (and former member of Congress), Rod Blagojevic was arrested by federal authorities, charged with corruption.  In a 76-page indictment from the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago, the governor allegedly tried to "sell or trade" the Illinois Senate seat, vacated by Barack Obama, to the highest bidder.  Blagojevich is no stranger to corruption charges.  He has been under investigation for years on other matters, but -- slammo -- this is a big one:  possible criminal charges for attempting to sell the Senate seat.  Check out the press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago: http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789468.pdf According to the affidavit from the prosecutor's office, Blagojevich said he was approached by an associate of "Candidate 5" for the Senate seat, and offered $500,000. "I want to make money," Blagojevich is alleged to have said.  Then he allegedly added, that he wanted to make $200,000 or $300,000 a year.    U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (remember the Scooter Libby-Valerie Plame case) said:  "The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering." Blagojevich, as governor, has sole authority to fill the seat. Stay tuned.  Source: Monica Davey, "Governor is Held in Inquiry into Filling Obama's Seat," New York Times, December 9, 2008. Monica Davey, "Blagojevich Pleads Not Guilty, With a Fourish," New York Times, April 15, 2009.