Governor repeats innocence claims in sidewalk talk
Talked into a sidewalk news interview Friday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared as confident as he was in his Dec. 19 news conference, again denying any wrongdoing and vowing he'll be vindicated.
The governor also disclosed that, beating President-elect Barack Obama to the doggy punch, a new puppy is now a permanent part of the Blagojevich family, though he appears to be allergic to it.
ABC 7 Chicago's Andy Shaw caught Blagojevich outside the South Side Chicago offices of defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. after the governor and Adam spent several hours reviewing the accomplishments that the legal team will present to the legislative impeachment committee Monday in Springfield.
"I think the accomplishments for people speak for themselves, and if somehow that's impeachable, then I'm on the wrong planet, and I'm living in the wrong place," Blagojevich said.
Blagojevich was arrested at his Chicago home Dec. 9 on federal conspiracy charges that he tried to auction off Obama's U.S. Senate seat for personal gain, shake down a children's hospital and other businesses for campaign cash and strong-arm the Tribune Co. into firing newspaper writers if it wanted state help in selling Wrigley Field.
Blagojevich has cast aside numerous calls for his resignation, said he's innocent and vowed to fight until his last breath. He did much the same on Friday.
"I know what the truth is, and the truth is I've done absolutely nothing wrong, and I've done a lot of things right," the governor said. "And even in this process, without saying too much, that was all about trying to end up with the right decision that could do the most things for the people of Illinois, and when the full truth is told, you will see precisely that."
Asked about Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's call for his resignation, Blagojevich said, "I think I made it abundantly clear that I have no intention whatsoever of leaving a job the people of Illinois elected me to perform because of false accusations and a political lynch mob."
Shortly after the governor's arrest, lawmakers announced they'd begin an impeachment investigation. But U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has asked the panel to stay away from key Blagojevich aides and political advisers and declined to provide copies of wiretap applications or identify individuals referred to only with generic labels in the criminal complaint used to support the governor's arrest.
Asked if he would be embarrassed if the tapes of his profanity-laced conversations would be played publicly, the governor said: "Look, if I had known people were listening, I probably wouldn't have said some of the things that you say in private conversations, but I think there's probably tens of millions of people across America who talk like that from time to time."
It's not known yet whether Fitzgerald will let the panel hear the tapes.
Meanwhile, Shaw reported the Blagojevich family's puppy is a combination poodle and Maltese named Skittles that the governor incorrectly thought was hypoallergenic.
"My eyes were really itching yesterday when that dog was bouncing around," Blagojevich said.
Despite the allergies, Blagojevich said the puppy's not going anywhere.
"She's our puppy now and she's staying, and if I have troubles with my eyes watering, that's just something I'll have to live with right now," he said.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=260541">Gov's lawyer asks panel to subpoena Obama staff</a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6574099">ABC 7's exclusive interview with Gov. Blagojevich </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2008/blagojevich/">Daily Herald's complete coverage of Blagojevich arrest</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>