Blago case heads to court of public opinion

As Illinois' attorney general rushed to court Friday to try to remove Rod Blagojevich from office saying he's unable to fulfill his duties, the governor responded by signing what could be considered defense exhibit A: A state law guaranteeing coverage for those with autism.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan asked the Illinois Supreme Court to suspend the governor's authority and, at least temporarily, elevate Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to the post, saying Blagojevich can "no longer fulfill his official duties with any legitimacy." Madigan, herself a potential candidate for governor, has been a longtime rival of Blagojevich.

Within hours, as if to defy that challenge, Blagojevich signed into law a proposal requiring insurance companies to cover autism, an issue that had become an unwilling political football in the near constant gamesmanship between legislative leaders and the governor.

"I have continued to fight for this cause and I am pleased to sign this bill into law today," the embattled governor said in a news release.

And on Saturday, responding to media reports that Blagojevich may make a decision about resignation on Monday, the governor's spokesman said nothing has been decided.

"There are no plans for him to resign on Monday," spokesman Lucio Guerrero told the Daily Herald Saturday morning.

Guerrero said he was unware if the governor has personal plans to make a decision by Monday.

He said the governor does plan to continue his work as the state's leader, including plans on Monday to sign a film tax credit law. The law is aimed at creating jobs and maintaining Illinois' status as a destination for the film industry.

Meanwhile, a message left at the Lombard-based Autism Society of Illinois on Friday was not returned. But the political ramifications of recent events were not lost on the group. Its Web site included a posting on the governor's arrest and how it could impact the proposed coverage.

Blagojevich has yet to publicly address his arrest earlier this week on charges he tried to sell a U.S. Senate appointment for personal gain and shake down businesses for campaign cash, but his attorney has proclaimed his client's innocence.

When CNN briefly caught his attention and asked what he had to say to the people of the state, Blagojevich said only, "I'll have a lot to say at the appropriate time."

Earlier Friday, Blagojevich met with ministers who emerged to say the governor professed his innocence.

Meanwhile the ranks of his inner circle continued to thin. A second top aide - Chief of Staff John Harris - resigned Friday, following the move of Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee the day before. Like Blagojevich, Harris had been arrested Tuesday in the alleged shakedown plot. Greenlee, not officially identified in the federal documents, was alleged to have participated in trying to get Chicago Tribune writers fired in exchange for the state helping the Tribune Co. sell Wrigley Field.

And on Monday lawmakers are scheduled to meet and push to strip the governor of his power to pick President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate if not begin the process of removing him from office altogether.

That process could take weeks and is further complicated by the fact that new lawmakers will be sworn in Jan. 14. Legal observers say it's all but impossible for an impeachment effort to be done by then, meaning it would have to start anew with the new crop of legislators.

Despite widespread calls for his resignation, Blagojevich has shown no indication he plans to leave office even as polls show his favorable rating dip to 8 percent.

So, in an effort to jump-start Blagojevich's ouster, Attorney General Madigan invoked an obscure court power and asked the justices to name Quinn the governor on at least a temporary basis.

"The attorney general is moving into untested ground with this motion," said Robert F. Rich, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. "It will be extremely interesting to see how the Supreme Court reacts."

The court has never used this rule to remove a governor.

Madigan has expressed interest in running for governor in 2010 but said her interest in removing Blagojevich has nothing to do with advancing her career.

"Political issues and political matters are not even on my radar screen," she said.

Madigan said she expected a response from the court soon, but it is not clear when that will come. Justices turn away hundreds of cases each year with no explanation.

The crux of Madigan's case is that state business will grind to a halt because Blagojevich cannot effectively run Illinois given the charges against him.

Yet Blagojevich's office seemed well-prepared to counter that claim with the signing of the autism coverage and announcing more action is likely in the coming days. Eight more proposed laws await the governor's signature, including an economic development package for Hoffman Estates.

But the governor's legal troubles already short-circuited, at least for a few days, a $1.4 billion borrowing deal needed to begin clearing out a massive backlog of bills filed by schools, health-care providers and others that the state doesn't have the cash flow to pay now.

And numerous lawmakers - already loathe to trust Blagojevich - fear potential fixes for the state's myriad economic problems are doomed because they involve handing control of millions if not billions of additional dollars over to the governor.

"And the brutal irony is to prove competency, he'll actually have to do some things," said Michael Connelly, a Lisle Republican who joins the Illinois House next month.

There's also mounting frustration in some circles regarding exactly what lawmakers will do in Springfield next week.

State Rep. Kathy Ryg, a Vernon Hills Democrat, said rank-and-file members have little information regarding impeachment proceedings and feel shut out by House Speaker Michael Madigan, the father of the attorney general.

"We're blindsided by our own leader," Ryg said.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego, who's called for Blagojevich's immediate impeachment, also said Madigan isn't talking to him.

"While events continue to unfold surrounding the arrest of our governor, I have yet to hear from you in regards to my request," Cross said in a letter to the speaker. "The crisis facing our state will not be abated by waiting and we cannot expect it to be solved through inaction."

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown responded by saying that meetings to answer such questions are scheduled for Monday. "We said from the beginning we'd sit down on Monday and talk with him (Cross)," Brown said.

For his part, Blagojevich went to his state office for a few hours Friday after meeting with ministers at his house. He has gone to his Loop office each day since his arrest and his spokesman said the governor is working to project an image of "normalcy."

"He wants to make sure that state government continues to operate," spokesman Lucio Guerrero told the Daily Herald.

With the governor remaining mum, the only insights into his state of mind came from the ministers who met with him privately and emerged to say the governor insists he is innocent.

The Rev. Leonard Barr of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church told reporters they "prayed that he would continue to be a great governor for the state of Illinois."

• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2008/blagojevich/">Complete coverage of Blagojevich investigation</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>