Blago meets with attorney, has 'no plans to resign' Monday

Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent Saturday meeting with a high-profile attorney as he prepared to continue acting as the state's chief executive days after his arrest on corruption charges.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said the embattled governor plans to sign another piece of legislation come Monday that would extend tax credits for producing films in Illinois.

Meanwhile, Guerrero disputed media reports that Blagojevich might make a decision about stepping down in the next few days, perhaps even Monday.

"There are no plans for him to resign on Monday," he said.

Blagojevich has not addressed the public since his arrest Tuesday on charges he was scheming to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate and other state business for personal profit, including large campaign donations and a lucrative job for his wife.

Prosecutors say they caught Blagojevich discussing the plans on tape during the last month. The investigation is ongoing.

A Blagojevich attorney said Tuesday the governor did nothing wrong. Blagojevich only told reporters briefly on Friday that he would speak to the public about the charges "at the appropriate time."

On Saturday, Blagojevich was followed by the media to his four-hour meeting with attorney Ed Genson, a high-profile attorney who successfully defended R&B artist R. Kelly on child pornography charges. Genson said he and the governor will decide on Monday if he will take the case.

State officials, however, continue to move to oust Blagojevich.

House Speaker Michael Madigan is set to meet with Democratic and Republican lawmakers Monday afternoon to discuss the possibility of impeachment proceedings, a spokesman said.

"We will move forward from there," spokesman Steve Brown said.

Both the state House and Senate are scheduled to return to the state Capitol to consider impeachment and a measure to strip the governor of the power to appoint someone to fill the remaining two years of Obama's U.S. Senate term.

At the same time, there appeared to be no action taken by the Illinois Supreme Court Saturday on a request from Attorney General Lisa Madigan that they remove Blagojevich, at least temporarily.

Lisa Madigan is Michael Madigan's daughter and a possible gubernatorial contender.

Politicians from all corners have called on Blagojevich to resign, including President-elect Barack Obama, Democrats in the U.S. Senate and the head of the Democratic Party, not to mention numerous local officials from both parties.

The governor has refused, even as two members of his inner circle resigned during the week. Chief of staff John Harris, who was also charged with Blagojevich, was one of those to step down. On Friday, he signed his first piece of legislation since the arrest, a health care measure he gleaned a measure of praise for pushing last month.

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>