Blago On the Run
Governor goes for a jog as House votes to impeachment him
Updated 3:48 PM CST, Fri, Jan 9, 2009
On a historic day in Illinois politics, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was on the run. Literally.
As the Illinois House voted 114-1 to impeach the governor, Blagojevich left his North Side home wearing a black jogging suit.
Blagojevich refused to answer any specific questions about the 114-1 vote by which the House impeached him Friday.
"Let me simply say I feel like the old Alan Sillitoe short story 'The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner,' the governor said. "And that's what this is by the way, a long-distance run."
He then promised to say more at a 2 p.m. news conference.
In Springfield, meanwhile, several House members condemned him for betraying the public trust before making him the first ever Illinois governor to be impeached.
During the floor debate at the state Capitol in Springfield, Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie said Blagojevich should have resigned.
Blagojevich now faces a trial in the Senate. If convicted there, he would be removed from office.
Blagojevich has been charged with trying to auction off an appointment to the U.S. Senate.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Chicago
First Published: Jan 9, 2009 10:20 AM CST
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