January 28 Illinois History Minute
It’s January 28th. And on this day in 2009, the Illinois Senate listened to excerpts from wiretap recordings of Governor Rod Blagojevich at his impeachment trial. The FBI said they showed Blagojevich trying to sell his support of legislation favoring race-tracks to a track owner in exchange for a campaign contribution.
The next day, Blagojevich told the senators he had broken no laws, and the release of all the wiretap evidence would prove it.
BLAGOJEVICH: “I never, in any conversation, intended to violate any criminal law. All the conversations, warts and all, ought to be heard.”
A few hours later, senators voted unanimously to remove Blagojevich from office. Later, he was convicted of federal corruption charges and served eight years in prison before President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.