Blago Asked Burris for $10K in Cash

Facing foreclosure, Burris II gets housing gig; 'reeks of hypocrisy,' state rep charges

(NEWSER) - Sen. Roland Burris’ son, Roland W. Burris II, got a job with the Illinois housing authority last year, weeks after the IRS imposed a tax lien and his home entered foreclosure, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The appointment came as his father lobbied for Barack Obama’s Senate seat, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich was asking the elder Burris for money. Burris II is not being investigated. More»

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris denied today that an affidavit sent to the Illinois House conveyed a shift in his testimony in the Rod Blagojevich scandal, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “There was no change,” Burris said of three statements he gave to the committee that recommended Blago's impeachment. Burris also called rumors that he filed the last statement at the request of federal investigators “positively not true.” More»

(NEWSER) - FBI recordings of a conversation between Sen. Roland Burris and the brother of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich can be released to the Senate Ethics Committee, a judge ruled today. The committee is investigating Burris’ appointment by the now-impeached governor, made after Blagojevich was indicted, the Hill reports. The taped conversation occurred before the impeachment and the appointment. More»

Replacement denies deal to keep him on as 'incapacitated governor'

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich said today that shortly after his December arrest by federal authorities, he was approached by “leading senators” who offered him a chance to stay on as an “incapacitated governor,” the Chicago Tribune reports. The deal, which the now-impeached governor rejected, would have been contingent on him not appointing a replacement to Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. More»

Franken also not seated

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris strode briskly past the cameras through the rain into the Capitol today, demanding to be seated as Illinois’ Senator but was denied entry, CNN reports. The secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, preventing him from taking the floor or the oath of office. It was "improperly done," Burris' attorney told the crowd of reporters, "and it is against the law of this land." More»