In December of 2008, Blagojevich was in his second term as governor. According to state law, he was required to name a senator to replace Mr. Obama. At that time, he was arrested, and federal agents made it known they had secretly recorded many hours of damaging phone calls that both he and his advisers had made.
According to the nytimes.com article, Blagojevich, an attorney and formerly both a state and federal lawmaker, was ''...accused of trying to secure campaign contributions, a cabinet post or a high-paying job in exchange for his official acts as governor - whether that was picking a senator, supporting particular legislation or deciding how to spend state money.''
Federal prosecutors were pleased with the guilty verdicts, as Blagojevich's previous trial last year resulted in a deadlocked jury on the majority of counts. As well, it had appeared to create doubt in peoples' minds about whether or not Blagojevich was indeed a criminal, or had merely engaged in some unsavory political dealings. Contributing to his image of being seen as merely ridiculous by many was his appearance as a contestant on the show Celebrity Apprentice in 2010, and his widely known reputation as someone who talks too much.
According to the nytimes.com article, the jury forewoman was quoted as saying: ''There's a lot of bargaining that goes on behind the scenes - we do that in our everyday lives, in business and everything. But I think in the instances when it is someone representing the people, it crosses the line. And I think we sent a pretty clear message on that.''
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois ''described the outcome as vindication for the people of Illinois,'' per the nytimes.com article.
Unfortunately, the trials, along with Blagojevich's criminal behavior, has cast Illinois in a bad political light, and created an urgent demand for change in both political and legal arenas. According to the nytimes.com article, there is currently an undertaking to shore up any loopholes in state campaign finance and public records laws, as well as more closely scrutinize some of Chicago's high profile politicians, including Mr. Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr.
Whether or not this demand for change is merely a kneejerk reaction to the spectacle Blago created has yet to be determined. But closing the barn door after the horse got out never appeared to do anyone any good.
According to information at Wikipedia.com, Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges in December of 2008. ''In January 2009, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach Blagojevich by a 114-1 vote for corruption and misconduct in office''. That made ''him the second state official in Illinois history to be impeached. The Illinois State Senate unanimously found him guilty of the charges of impeachment, and he was removed from office''. In an additional, unanimous vote, ''Blagojevich was banned for life from holding public office in the State of Illinois.'' He was the 40th Governor of Illinois.
