AP -- What could be the Democrat's final departure from Springfield ended the same way it began: Aboard a state plane. The impeached governor left Thursday afternoon, bound for his Chicago home, before almost certain Senate conviction and ouster.
Until he's removed from office, he's still qualified for taxpayer-financed transportation.
The Associated Press reported last year that Blagojevich took nearly daily round-trip flights between Chicago and the capital while he kept lawmakers in special session over a budget dispute.
He stopped amid criticism.
As early as 2005, the AP reported the Blagojevich administration used state aircraft 27 percent more than the previous one.
