Pat Quinn (R), former Lieutenant
Governor of Illinois, takes the oath of office of Governor given by
Appellate Judge Anne Burke (L) while son Pat Quinn IV looks on during a
swearing-in ceremony in the House chambers at the state capitol in
Springfield, Illinois Jan. 29, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
CHICAGO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Only one hour after Gov.
Rod Blagojevich was impeached out of office Thursday afternoon, the Lt. Gov.
Patrick Quinn took the public oath of office in Illinois state house of
representative chamber.
In his first news conference as governor, Quinn
compared his situation coming into office to that of Gerald Ford following
Richard Nixon after Nixon resigned in 1974.
"(Ford) pointed out that he was not elected by the
ballots of the people, so he asked the people of America to confirm his office
by their prayers, and I have the same request for the people of Illinois," Quinn
said.
He warned that aside from sweeping economic problems,
the state is facing "an integrity crisis." He called upon the people of Illinois
to make the sacrifices necessary to address the serious challenges before them.
He indicated that all appointed government officials
and employees will be under review in his administration.
Just about one hour ago, the former Gov. Blagojevich
was convicted of corruption and removed from office by a vote of 59-0 by the
Illinois State Senate. Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn automatically replaced him to be
the new governor according to the law.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks
to the media during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois January 23,
2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
CHICAGO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Governor Rod Blagojevich
of Illinois, who was impeached on corruption accusations, was convicted and
thrown out of office by the state Senate on Thursday.
The Illinois Senate, which voted 59-0 to oust the
governor, also decided to bar him from ever holding public office in the state
again with another unanimous vote. Full story
CHICAGO, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Illinois Senate in
Springfield, the state capital city, opened on Monday its historic impeachment
trial of an absent Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was accused of corruption but
insisted that the impeachment is unfair.
Illinois senators were summoned to their seats to
serve as judge and jury in determining whether Blagojevich, the two-term
Democratic governor, had violated his oath of office for allegedly trying to
profit from his office and abusing his powers. Full story
CHICAGO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The impeached Illinois
Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was accused of selling U.S. senator seat vacated
by President Barack Obama, Friday opposed the impeachment rules, saying it is a
trampling of constitution.
At press conference at downtown Chicago, Blagojevich
likened his Monday impeachment trial to a "hanging" of the 12 million people of
Illinois. Full story
CHICAGO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Illinois House in a
historic vote has impeached embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich who is accused of
selling a U.S. senator seat vacated by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.
The vote by the House was 114-1 and marks the first time
in the state's 190-year history that a governor has been impeached. Full story
CHICAGO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Impeached Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich vowed on Friday to fight every step of the way.
At a news conference held in downtown Chicago hours after
he was impeached by the Illinois House, Blagojevich said he is confident that at
the end, he will be properly exonerated. Full story
CHICAGO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich, who faced federal corruption charges, said here on Friday that he
was not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and intends to stay on the job.
At a press conference held in downtown Chicago on Friday
afternoon, the governor, in his first public appearance since his Dec. 9 arrest,
said: "I will fight until I take my last breath." Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Illinois Supreme Court
refused on Wednesday to hear a case against the state governor, Rod Blagojevich,
who was charged with corruption.
The court spokesman announced the decision not to hear a
challenge to Governor Blagojevich's fitness to hold office without giving
further reasons. Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Illinois state
lawmakers are seeking to impeach governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested on
Tuesday on corruption charges, CNN reported on Friday.
John Fritchey and three other Democratic members of
the Illinois state House of Representatives co-sent a letter to fellow lawmakers
late Thursday to make the case for the impeachment, according to the report. Full story
