FBI arrest Blagojevich; Chief of Staff John?Harris

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[As President-elect Barack Obama's radical former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is fond of saying, the chickens are coming home to roost. At least that appears to be the case for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were taken into custody in Chicago Tuesday by federal agents charged with trying to sell an appointment to the highest bidder to fill Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat. Both men have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening," Obama, like Blagojevich a Democrat, said following the announcement.

"This is a sad day for Illinois," said Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). "The General Assembly should enact a law as quickly as possible calling for a special election to fill the Senate vacancy of Barack Obama. No appointment by this Governor could produce a credible replacement."

U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Belleville) issued the following statement: "I have read the press release issued by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald detailing some of the events and charges that led to the arrest today of Governor Blagojevich. These are very serious charges, and we must allow the legal process to go forward. The people of Illinois will be best served if this matter is considered in a timely and efficient manner."

Lt. Gov, Pat Quinn, also a Democrat, said Blagojevich should "do the right thing and step aside." That would, of course, elevate Quinn to governor.

"At a time when our state faces tremendous challenges, Governor Blagojevich cannot faithfully exercise the powers of his office," Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, said in a prepared statement Tuesday. "Governor Blagojevich should immediately resign and allow Lt. Governor Quinn to succeed him." Madigan is the daughter of Blagojevich's primary rival, State House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), who declined to discuss the matter.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) on Tuesday called for the Illinois House of Represen-tatives to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich. He also called on Blagojevich to resign.

As part of an ongoing probe of Blagojevich's administration the Federal Bureau of Investigation has already won convictions on a number of Blagojevich's political associates, including Antonin Rezko, Stuart Levine, and Ali Ata. They are also affiliated with Obama.

Blagojevich is now in his second term after first being elected in 2002, following the exit from office of former Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, due largely to federal corruption charges. Ryan was convicted in 2006 and is currently serving a sentence of six and one-half years.

Ryan was found guilty on 18 counts of steering state business to cronies for bribes, of gutting corruption-fighting efforts to protect political fundraising and of misusing state resources for political gain. A co-defendant, longtime friend Lawrence Warner, was also found guilty on 12 counts against him.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who successfully prosecuted Ryan and FBI Special Agent Robert Grant issued a statement saying that Blagojevich and Harris "allegedly conspired to sell U.S. Senate appointments, engaged in pay-to-play schemes, and threatened to withhold state assistance to Tribune Company for Wrigley Field to induce purge of newspaper editorial writers."

Monday the Tribune Company, which owns the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Cubs baseball team, declared bankruptcy. The company is looking for assistance from the Illinois Finance Authority to sell off the Cubs and Wrigley Field.

"Clearly, the charges announced today reveal that the office of the Governor has become nothing more than a vehicle for self-enrichment, unrestricted by party affiliation and taking Illinois politics to a new low," said Grant.

Prior to the Nov. 4 election federal judge gave the FBI permission to use a wiretap to covertly tape Blagojevich's conversations due to concerns that a replacement for Obama would be handled illegally.

After learning from a Chicago Tribune report that federal prosecutors had secretly taped his phone conversations, Blagojevich told the media on Monday that the wiretap "sneakily smells like Watergate." He said he didn't care that he was taped, because, "I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful."

He also said that the tapes would allow people to hear him trying to help the citizens of Illinois and talking about the Chicago Cubs.

But that's not what the 76 page FBI affidavit alleges, according to Fitzgerald. He said it alleges that Blagojevich conspired to sell or trade Obama's vacated seat for financial benefits for himself and his wife, including an annual salary of $250,000-$300,000 at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions. He also alleges that Blagojevich demanded a corporate board seat for his wife at $150,000 a year, promises of campaign funding, a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself, and cash up front.

The charges filed against Blagojevich and Harris, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery carry maximum penalties of 20 and 10 years in prison, respectively. Both also carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

Meanwhile, other Illinois politicians, including Sen. Richard Durbin, a Democrat, and former Gov. James Thompson, a Republican, are seeking a presidential pardon for Ryan.