SR0497 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0497 LRB096 15431 KXB 30619 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been indicted on 16 racketeering, fraud, and extortion charges; and

WHEREAS, Authorities have accused him of embarking on a "wide-ranging scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government"; and

WHEREAS, The charges against him include seeking the sale of President Barack Obama's former United States Senate seat to the highest bidder; and

WHEREAS, The severity of the charges against Rod Blagojevich led the Illinois General Assembly to impeach him and remove him from the Governor's Office; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Senate vote to remove him from office was unanimous; and

WHEREAS, The former Governor's poor fiscal management of the State of Illinois has led to record-breaking budget deficits and debt; and

WHEREAS, Through his reckless and selfish actions, Rod Blagojevich damaged the reputation of Illinois and its government; and

WHEREAS, The name "Rod Blagojevich" will forever be associated with "play-to-pay" corruption scandals; and

WHEREAS, Illinois State government has tried to turn the page on the Blagojevich years through his removal from office and the pursuit of enhanced ethics laws; and

WHEREAS, The NBC network is considering allowing Rod Blagojevich to appear on "The Celebrity Apprentice" television program, hosted by Donald Trump; and

WHEREAS, Prosecutors have expressed concern that Rod Blagojevich's appearance on the show will prejudice the potential jury pool for his upcoming trial; and

WHEREAS, The people of the State of Illinois are entitled to see justice be done; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Blagojevich deserves to receive a free and fair trial, without a tainted jury pool; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that lawmakers appeal to the NBC television network and "The Celebrity Apprentice" host Donald Trump to reject the use of Rod Blagojevich as a contestant on that program.