Recently in Burris Category

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Roland Burris is critical of the compromise health plan Senate leaders crafted to allow states to opt out of a government-sponsored "public option" insurance plan. With Burris' vote potentially crucial, I've learned that the Obama White House will be paying attention to him for the first time today, dispatching the health "czar" to his Senate office.

WASHINGTON--Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has said he will not vote for a health care bill that does not include a public option. The Senate leaders are melding one bill from two advanced by different committees and while it is likely to have a public option, it's not a foregone conclusio. Burris' vote could be needed by the White House and he is somewhat immune from pressure since he will not be running to keep the Senate seat he was appointed to by the tainted Gov. Blagojevich.

Appearing on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" on Wednesday, Burris said he will "not be some type of obstructionist."

WASHINGTON--Over at Politics Daily, Patricia Murphy is reporting that "Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) took on the director of the U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday at a hearing over his decision to cut the bureau's ties with the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) without a formal review or inquiry."

Census chief Robert Groves, cut ties with ACORN after ACORN personnel were secretly taped giving advice to folks posing as a pimp and prostitute about how to scam the government.

Murphy reports: "Burris asked if news reports of "the so-called Fox sting, which ACORN now is suing over," had contributed to Groves' decision to cut ties with the group. Groves said the scandal was part of it, but added the negative feedback from his regional offices was his primary concern."

"Burris argued that Groves' move stemmed from "unfair assessments based on agendas that have nothing to do with service to the community." The senator said he knows of ACORN's work in Chicago and said the organization could have been a valuable partner in getting a full census count in African American and poor communities."

Note: Burris was wrong when he said Fox had something to do with the sting. Despite what Burris said, Fox had nothing to do with making the video. Fox was the first to televise the sting video, and has televised the video many times.

WASHINGTON--Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.)--who had billed himself as the crucial 60th vote the Democrats needed in the Senate--is breaking from the pack, saying Wednesday he will oppose any health care bill that does not have a public insurance option.

"I firmly believe in a public option and will oppose any bill that does not include one. Illinoisans have seen their insurance premiums skyrocket, while more and more families lose their coverage every day," Burris said in a statement.

Burris could be the one senator immune from pressure from any precinct. Appointed in a controversial move by the tainted now former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is facing criminal charges, Burris is not running to keep the seat in the 2010 election. He had little choice in deciding not to run; the Democratic establishment lined up against Burris believing he was too politically weak to retain the seat once held by President Obama.

Since White House and Senate power brokers David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel and Dick Durbin tried to recruit someone else to run for the Senate seat Burris now holds--Burris--who has known them from years--owes them nothing.

Could be interesting. Burris is the one senator with nothing to lose and with limited opportunity to make some kind of mark in the chamber before he has to leave.

WASHINGTON--The debate over ACORN continues on cable shows, after the Monday Senate vote to ban federal money to fund programs run by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The Senate vote was overwhelming--83 yes, 7 no and 9 not voting. Illinois Democrats Dick Durbin and Roland Burris both voted no.

Critics of Barack Obama during the presidential campaign tried to attack Obama by attacking ACORN, a community organizing group over how they handled voter registration and Census work. The Senate action came after ACORN got caught up in an undercover video sting--where ACORN employees were seen offering advice to folks posing as a prostitute and a pimp.

The actual legislation:
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 2355 to H.R. 3288 (Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010)
Statement of Purpose: Prohibiting use of funds to fund the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

CHICAGO--Having tried and failed to raise any significant campaign cash, Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) said Friday he won't run in 2010 and will devote the remainder of his term to his senate work.

Burris announced his decision before a room full of supporters and took no questions afterwards. He read a brief statement at the Chicago South Loop Hotel, 2600 S. State St..

Said Burris:

The reality of being in the United States Senate today requires not only a significant time commitment to performing the job, but an almost equal commitment to raising funds to run competitively for the office. Political races have become far too expensive in this country.

And I'm making this -- as I am making this decision, I was called to choose between spending my time raising funds or spending my time raising issues for my state. I believe that the business of the people of the state of Illinois should always come first. The business of our state should come first. And so, today, I return to the place where my political journey began back in 1978 -- back to the South Side of Chicago, back to my community and my constituency -- to announce, my friends, that I will not be a candidate in the 2010 election, and that I will not run for the United States Senate seat.

Sen. Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury, a Sangamon County prosecutor said Friday. What Burris did not say spoke volumes politically, but it was not a crime.

UPDATED WITH BURRIS STATEMENT

Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury, Downstate prosecutor says

Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt declined to press perjury charges against U.S. Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) stemming from allegations he misled a legislative panel about the circumstances behind his appointment.

Schmidt said that while Burris' answers to the House committee probing former Gov. Blagojevich's impeachment were "incomplete," and vague, that did not rise to the level of a crime. "Based upon our review of the facts and the applicable law, there is insufficient evidence to charge Senator Roland Burris with perjury," Schmidt wrote in a letter to House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), whose office encouraged the probe.

Burris said in a statement that he was "very pleased" by the decision. He still has a Senate Ethics Committee probe hanging over him.

Said Burris, "I am obviously very pleased with today's decision by State's Attorney John Schmidt. His investigation was both thorough and fair, and I am glad that the truth has prevailed.

"I am glad I can now put this matter behind me and get on with my work in the United States Senate serving the people of Illinois."

excerpt from Schmidt letter to Madigan:

The Illinois Supreme Court has consistently held the burden is on the questioner to pin the witness down as to the specific object of the questioner's inquiry.

excerpt from Schmidt press release:

The Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office announced today there is insufficient evidence to charge Senator Roland Burris with perjury for his testimony before the Illinois House Special Investigative Committee. In a letter (copy attached) to Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, the state's attorney's office explained the reasons why there is insufficient evidence.

Under Illinois law an individual commits perjury when under oath he knowingly makes a false statement. A review of the evidence, consisting of numerous interviews and documents, indicates there is insufficient evidence to prove Senator Burris made a statement he knew to be false. Some of his statements were vague, but vague statements cannot support a perjury charge.

click below for Schmidt letter to Madigan, press release...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Ethics Committee probe of Sen. Roland Burris is moving to its next phase, seeking information from Burris himself, after having interviewed Sen. Dick Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and asking for the release of federal wiretaps.

WASHINGTON--Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) has brushed off waves of calls for him to resign--from newspapers and elected officials. The recent release of wiretaps of conversations between him and the brother of tainted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich prompted yet another round of stories pounding nails on his poltiical coffin.

On Monday, the Washington Post weighed in as if Burris would budge just because an out-of-state paper barked at him. The summary last graf of the Washington Post editorial:

We warned that anyone who accepted the appointment from Mr. Blagojevich to fill Mr. Obama's Senate seat would be suspect. With each passing month, Mr. Burris proves us right. He proves why the power to fill Senate vacancies should rest with voters at the ballot box in a special election. And he proves why he should resign.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/AR2009060702018.html

President Obama tapped Chicagoan and major Obama fund-raiser Lou Sussman to be ambassador to Great Britain on Wednesday. The appointment had been long expected. Sussman also chaired Sen. John Kerry's fund-raising operation when he ran for president in 2004.

Updated 4:11 p.m. eastern time

My Chicago Sun-Times colleague Natasha Korecki is reporting Tuesday morning that Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) was wiretaped while talking to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother Robert, who ran his campaign fund-raising operation.

A judge is allowing the tapes to be released to the Senate ethics committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

Sun-Times exclusive: Burris promised Blago campaign a check by mid-December

BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter

In a November conversation caught on an FBI wiretap, Roland Burris promised Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother that he'd write the governor a campaign check by mid-December, Burris' lawyer said today.

That was about a month before Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to the U.S. Senate.

But lawyer Timothy Wright told the Chicago Sun-Times today that his client never sent the check because he believed it wasn't a good idea given Burris' interest in the U.S. Senate seat appointment. Wright said Burris' decision not to send the check had nothing to do with Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest.

WASHINGTON -- As I am sitting down with Sen. Roland Burris to discuss his Senate career to date and his future election plans, Burris gestures toward the front of his office to point out that he is using Paul Simon's desk and Barack Obama's chair.

WASHINGTON--Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers were on a Chicago-bound plane Friday morning forced to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh because of an on-board equipment misfunctioned .

The three were on United flight 615.

Jim O'Connor, a Burris spokesman, said Burris told him that he heard a loud bang at take-off, sometime near 11:30 a.m. One the plane was in the air, the noises became deafening and the plane began to shake, O'Connor said. There was also a great deal of turbulence.

The pilot announced to the passengers there was a hydrolic hydraulic system failure and the O'Hare Airport-bound plane would be making an emergency landing in Pittsburgh.

Emergency vehicles met the plane on the tarmac upon landing. Burris helped an elderly woman off the plane.

Catherine Mccormick-Lelyveld, a spokesman for the First Lady's office, said Rogers was fine and catching another flight to Chicago.

WASHINGTON -- Without a plan detailing where alleged terrorists would be sent, the Obama White House was told by congressional Democrats that lawmakers would not approve funds for closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

So what happened? Despite the warnings, with no ammunition to deflect fears about terrorists running around on U.S. soil, the Obama team lost Guantanamo funding votes in the House and Senate. With no plan, resistance to bringing the detainees to U.S. prisons -- and fear-mongering -- have been allowed to grow.

WASHINGTON--On an overwhelming 90-6 roll call, the Senate balked Wednesday on funding for a key pledge of President Obama--closing down the military prison holding alleged terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Illinois senators split on the contentious issue, fueling debate over whether U.S. communities will accept the detainees at local prisons.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was one of the six Senators backing Obama's cornerstone campaign pledge. Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) voted with the majority.

Arguing for the $80 million for the prisoner transfer--out of $91.3 billion Defense supplemental spending, Durbin said U.S. corrections personnel already handle dangerous prisoners "every single day."

"The reality is that we're holding some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world right now in our federal prisons," Durbin said from the Senate floor.

Burris told me after the vote he thought high security facilities--such as the federal maximum security prison in Marion, Ill. could safely hold the detainees.

WASHINGTON--Embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) throws his first campaign fund-raiser Sunday afternoon in Chicago at N'Digo, 19 N. Sangamon.

Burris is raising money under the Burris 2010 banner, though it is quite uncertain whether Burris--appointed by the impeached and indicted Gov. Blagojevich--is going to run. Burris is also waiting for permission from the Senate to open a legal expense fund.

Burris is under investigation by the Sangamon County states attorney for perjury related to his testimony before the Illinois House impeachment panel. He is also the subject of a Senate ethics panel probe.

Who's who helping to raise money at the Burris funder:

Host: Tamera Fair

Honorary Host Committee: Ald. Lyle
Ald. Beale, Ald. Hairston, Sen. Trotter, Rep. Constance Howard

Host Committee: Jesse Brown, Steve Burris, Joseph Caldwell, Randall Caldwell, Judith Cothran, Tim King, Joe Moore Jr, Stephen Stern, Guy Summers, Everett White.

WASHINGTON--Embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) is asking the Senate Select Committee on Ethics for permission to open a legal expense fund, I've learned.

Burris filed the request with the committee on Monday. The law firm handling the filing is Gonzalez, Saggio, Harlan led by Burris attorney Tim Wright, who has been advising Burris since his controversial appointment by impeached Gov. Blagojevich.

The treasurer named on the filing is Roderick Sawyer, former Mayor Eugene Sawyer's son. ( Eugene Sawyer's nephew, Kerry, is a senior advisor on the Burris Washington staff.)

The purpose for establishing the fund, according to the filing: "to pay for expenses incurred by the Senator in connection with his appointment to the US Senate on December 30th, 2008. Due to the controversy surrounding his appointment by former Illinois Governor Rod Balgojevich, Senator Burris incurred legal expenses to support his eventual swearing in on January 15th, 2009 in both Illinois and Washington, DC.

"In addition, even after he was seated, Senator Burris has continued to require representation amid accusations of perjury and other alleged improprieties relating back to his appointment to the senate seat."

BY DAVE MCKINNEY AND CHRIS FUSCO
Chicago Sun-Times Staff Reporters

On the same December day then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich named Roland Burris to fill President Obama's U.S. Senate vacancy, Burris' right-hand political man, Fred Lebed, phoned an associate and told him, "We'll have to do some things for the governor."

That's the recollection of the associate, a health-care and political consultant named John Ruff, who went on to become one of Burris' co-plaintiffs on a January lawsuit that sought to help Burris claim his Senate seat.

Besides raising new questions about a possible quid pro quo between Blagojevich and Burris, Ruff also recalled Lebed telling him he'd had discussions about Burris' interest in the seat with Blagojevich representatives as far back as October. That claim by Ruff contradicts what Burris said in a Jan. 5 sworn statement that is now part of a state perjury investigation.

CHICAGO--Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, 32, opens his exploratory bid for Senator today hoping his close association with President Obama, generational appeal, record and early start locks him in as a front-runner in what today is a very undefined field.

Giannoulias, I am told, is running no matter the election scenario or the other contenders. Last week, William Daley, the former Commerce Secretary and mayoral brother, floated his name in order to head off Giannoulias securing early endorsements. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is also mulling a run, with her chances of getting in more likely in a special election.

Though a special election is being called for by some to force embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) from office, lawmakers may have second thoughts because of the cost. The regular primary and general election is in 2010 and nominating petitions are due later this year for the February primary.

Giannoulias is figuring the primary could cost $5 million and a general election at least $15 million. After a series of interviews to discuss his bid today--there is no splashy kick off--Giannoulias heads to Florida to prospect for labor support at the annual AFL-CIO Winter meeting in Miami. His initial campaign focus will be on fund-raising.

Jordan Kaplan, who directed the Obama fund-raising effort in Illinois, is assisting Giannoulias on the money front. "The goal is to get out early and start raising money," I am told. Giannoulias' has the wealth to self-fund a portion of his campaign. Eric Adelstein is Giannoulias' media consultant and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner his pollsters.

WASHINGTON--Embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) through his attorney, Tim Wright, on Friday told Illinois Attorney Gen. Lisa Madigan that her legal brief to cut his appointed term short doesn't cut it with them.

Two main points from Wright's letter (see pdf here)

1. Legal--Asserts violation of federal law to have a special election to effectively end his appointment.

2. Political--State can't afford special election.

WASHINGTON--Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Thursday took some initial steps that could result in the Illinois General Assembly bouncing embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) from office by cutting his term short and calling for a special election.
Key to the legal reasoning, issued Wednesday night in the form of an official opinion, is considering Burris' appointment by ousted Gov. Blagojevich as temporary.

WASHINGTON---Embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) will deliver his second floor speech on Wednesday--at about 3:45 p.m. eastern on District of Columbia voting rights. He'll also preside over the Senate--the Senators all take turns--later on this afternoon.

Burris--declining invitations to resign--announced two staff pick: Brady King, who will serve as Senator Burris' interim Chief of Staff, and Jim O'Connor, who will serve as Communications Director.

print version
WASHINGTON -- Despite calls to resign -- add Sen. Dick Durbin to the list -- embattled Sen. Roland Burris dug in on Tuesday.

Burris met with Durbin for almost an hour to plead his case, but did not get the boost he hoped for.

"I told him that under the circumstances I would consider resigning if I were in his shoes. He said he would not resign and that was his conclusion," Durbin said.

Durbin said he asked Burris if he was going to run in 2010 and Burris said he has not decided. But a source told the Sun-Times that Burris has come to realize he has been drained of any meaningful political support, and a 2010 bid was not tenable.

In recapping their talk, Durbin said, "I told him it would be extremely difficult for him to be successful in a primary or a general election under the circumstances." Durbin said he would not support Burris if he ran.