Difference between revisions of "Roland Burris"
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− | + | {{Officeholder | |
+ | |name=Roland Burris | ||
+ | |image=000Sen_Roland_Burris_250.jpg | ||
+ | |party=[[Democrat]] | ||
+ | |spouse=Berlean M. Burris | ||
+ | |religion=Baptist | ||
+ | |offices= | ||
+ | {{Officeholder/senator | ||
+ | |state=Illinois | ||
+ | |terms=January 15, 2009 – Present | ||
+ | |preceded=[[Barack Obama]] | ||
+ | |former=n | ||
+ | |succeeded= | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | }} | ||
− | He was named by Illinois Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]] to fill the vacant [[U.S. Senate]] seat of President-elect Obama, causing enormous uproar because Blagojevich was being impeached for trying to sell that same seat. Blagojevich was convicted and removed from office in January 2009. | + | '''Roland Burris''' (b. 1937), a [[liberal]] [[Democrat]], is the junior U.S. Senator from [[Illinois]]. He has announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. In 1978 he became the first [[African American]] elected to statewide office in Illinois, and in 1990 was elected state attorney general. Since then he lost a series of primary elections and was considered a minor player in Illinois politics. |
+ | |||
+ | Burris was named by Illinois Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]] to fill the vacant [[U.S. Senate]] seat of President-elect [[Barack Obama]], causing enormous uproar because Blagojevich was being impeached for trying to sell that same seat. Blagojevich was convicted and removed from office in January 2009. | ||
Senate Democrats promised not to seat anyone named by Blagojevich, because of the taint associated with him. Therefore on Jan. 6, 2009, Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers as he tried to claim the seat.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/burris/index.html</ref> | Senate Democrats promised not to seat anyone named by Blagojevich, because of the taint associated with him. Therefore on Jan. 6, 2009, Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers as he tried to claim the seat.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/burris/index.html</ref> | ||
− | Legally, however, his claim to the seat seemed | + | Legally, however, his claim to the seat seemed strong, because it depended on Blagojevich being governor, which he was. |
On Jan. 12, 2009, he was finally certified by the Senate.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/12/burris-certified-obamas-vacated-senate-seat/]</ref> | On Jan. 12, 2009, he was finally certified by the Senate.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/12/burris-certified-obamas-vacated-senate-seat/]</ref> | ||
Burris was seated after promising to testify truthfully to the impeachment committee of the Illinois legislature, which investigated Blagojevich. | Burris was seated after promising to testify truthfully to the impeachment committee of the Illinois legislature, which investigated Blagojevich. | ||
− | |||
− | However Burris later admitted that he did not testify truthfully to the committee while under oath. The Democratic speaker of the state legislature | + | However, Burris later admitted that he did not testify truthfully to the committee while under oath. The Democratic speaker of the state legislature called for an investigation. In Washington, Senate officials investigated the situation. One state representative, a Democrat, sighed that Burris: |
:"wasn’t forthcoming, and that’s the bottom line. I feel betrayed. The real problem here is the question of trust for the citizens of Illinois. We were supposed to rise to the occasion and, again, Illinois becomes the laughingstock for the nation."<ref>John Chase and Rick Pearson, "Burris changes story on Senate seat," [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/chi-roland-burris-rod-blagojevich-090214,0,334648.story ''Chicago Tribune'' Feb. 14, 2009]; Natasha Korecki and Dave McKinney, "Illinois lawmakers mull Burris perjury probe," [http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/illinois_lawmakers_mull_burris.html ''Chicago Sun-Times'' Feb. 14, 2009]; Dirk Johnson and Monica Davey, "Burris Tried to Raise Money for Blagojevich' [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18illinois.html?hp ''New York Times'' Feb. 17, 2009] </ref> | :"wasn’t forthcoming, and that’s the bottom line. I feel betrayed. The real problem here is the question of trust for the citizens of Illinois. We were supposed to rise to the occasion and, again, Illinois becomes the laughingstock for the nation."<ref>John Chase and Rick Pearson, "Burris changes story on Senate seat," [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/chi-roland-burris-rod-blagojevich-090214,0,334648.story ''Chicago Tribune'' Feb. 14, 2009]; Natasha Korecki and Dave McKinney, "Illinois lawmakers mull Burris perjury probe," [http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/illinois_lawmakers_mull_burris.html ''Chicago Sun-Times'' Feb. 14, 2009]; Dirk Johnson and Monica Davey, "Burris Tried to Raise Money for Blagojevich' [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18illinois.html?hp ''New York Times'' Feb. 17, 2009] </ref> | ||
− | + | Burris is now shunned and ostracized by his fellow senators, and has been "relegated to outcast status on Capitol Hill." <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/01/burris-relegated-outcast-status-capitol-hill/?test=latestnews Burris Relegated to Outcast Status on Capitol Hill], AP, ''FoxNews.com'', June 01, 2009</ref> | |
== References == | == References == | ||
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Roland}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Roland}} | ||
[[Category:Illinois]] | [[Category:Illinois]] | ||
+ | [[Category:United States Senators]] | ||
[[Category:United States Appointed Officials]] | [[Category:United States Appointed Officials]] | ||
[[Category:Corruption]] | [[Category:Corruption]] | ||
[[Category:Obama Administration]] | [[Category:Obama Administration]] |
Revision as of 00:15, August 18, 2009
Roland Burris | |||
---|---|---|---|
| |||
U.S. Senator from Illinois From: January 15, 2009 – Present | |||
Predecessor | Barack Obama | ||
Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
Information | |||
Party | Democrat | ||
Spouse(s) | Berlean M. Burris | ||
Religion | Baptist |
Roland Burris (b. 1937), a liberal Democrat, is the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois. He has announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. In 1978 he became the first African American elected to statewide office in Illinois, and in 1990 was elected state attorney general. Since then he lost a series of primary elections and was considered a minor player in Illinois politics.
Burris was named by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama, causing enormous uproar because Blagojevich was being impeached for trying to sell that same seat. Blagojevich was convicted and removed from office in January 2009.
Senate Democrats promised not to seat anyone named by Blagojevich, because of the taint associated with him. Therefore on Jan. 6, 2009, Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers as he tried to claim the seat.[1]
Legally, however, his claim to the seat seemed strong, because it depended on Blagojevich being governor, which he was.
On Jan. 12, 2009, he was finally certified by the Senate.[2]
Burris was seated after promising to testify truthfully to the impeachment committee of the Illinois legislature, which investigated Blagojevich.
However, Burris later admitted that he did not testify truthfully to the committee while under oath. The Democratic speaker of the state legislature called for an investigation. In Washington, Senate officials investigated the situation. One state representative, a Democrat, sighed that Burris:
- "wasn’t forthcoming, and that’s the bottom line. I feel betrayed. The real problem here is the question of trust for the citizens of Illinois. We were supposed to rise to the occasion and, again, Illinois becomes the laughingstock for the nation."[3]
Burris is now shunned and ostracized by his fellow senators, and has been "relegated to outcast status on Capitol Hill." [4]
References
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/burris/index.html
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ John Chase and Rick Pearson, "Burris changes story on Senate seat," Chicago Tribune Feb. 14, 2009; Natasha Korecki and Dave McKinney, "Illinois lawmakers mull Burris perjury probe," Chicago Sun-Times Feb. 14, 2009; Dirk Johnson and Monica Davey, "Burris Tried to Raise Money for Blagojevich' New York Times Feb. 17, 2009
- ↑ Burris Relegated to Outcast Status on Capitol Hill, AP, FoxNews.com, June 01, 2009