Corruption hits Capital Hill...again

Rob Blagojevich is the Governor of Illinois. As Governor he has the authority to fill the Illinois senate seat which used to belong to President-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich was arrested yesterday morning for attempting to sell the senate seat to the highest bidder in an attempt to enrich himself, as well as for several other illegal schemes. He is being charged with a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and a count of solicitation of bribery. The Governor was released after putting up a 4,500 dollar bail and forfeiting his passport.



At least a month ago, the FBI tapped the Governor's phone and bugged his office. In the FBI affidavit, Blagojevich is alleged for saying things like "the senate seat is a valuable thing" and that he "would not give it away for nothing". In addition to attempting to sell the senate seat, Blagojevich is accused of committing several other corrupt acts. Among the sleaziest was withholding funding for a children's hospital until its CEO made donations to his campaign.

Here's the kicker. Blagojevich retains the right to appoint Obama's successor until he is out of office. This wont happen unless he resigns or is impeached, which could take a while. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has said that the Illinois Legislature needs to act quickly and pass a law that will allow for a special election to fill Obama's seat. Otherwise Blagojevich's appointment would be illegitimate, or there would be a vacancy in the Senate until this whole thing is resolved. You can read more about this scandal here.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about all of these corruption scandals on Capital Hill. It needs to stop. I am glad the FBI have been working to stop these politicans from abusing their power. Hopefully people like Ted Stevens and Rob Blagojevich have set an example to people with authority, teaching them that they, like every other American, will be held accountable for their actions.