From the Office of State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias
When Governor Blagojevich made the Senate appointment, I stated that the process was tainted, regardless of whom he selected.
Given the revelations during the past several days, the situation has become toxic and only serves as a sideshow during a time when lawmakers should be addressing the financial crisis that is impacting families across Illinois.
Senator Burris' statements have been misleading at best and make clear he was not upfront or forthright during his testimony before Illinois House Impeachment Committee. He violated the public's trust, which sorely needed restoring following the Governor's impeachment.
Although lawmakers took a positive step by removing the Governor, we're still dealing with problems that he created. As a result, Senator Burris cannot serve as an effective leader nor restore integrity to public service. For the good of the people of Illinois, Senator Burris should resign.
It's obvious that the people of Illinois have been ill-served by kingmaker politics. We need to move forward to remove the Senate appointment power from current and future Governors and ensure Illinois residents select their representatives at the ballot box.
As the fight over last week's stimulus package shows, every Senator plays a key role in our nation's economic recovery. We need to make sure our Senators serve the public's interest, not as a distraction.
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