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Blagojevich Claims Innocence: "I Will Fight, I Will Fight, I Will Fight"
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 19, 2008
Modified Dec 19, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 19, 2008
Modified Dec 19, 2008
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Embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich made his first public remarks after being accused of trying to sell a soon-to-be vacated Senate seat and other charges. Besides saying he would not resign, Blago started off with, "I'm here to tell you right off the bat that I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, that I intend to stay on the job, and I will fight this thing every step of the way. I will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath."
He even quoted Rudyard Kipling's "If"— "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you and make allowance for their doubting too, if you can wait and not be tired by waiting or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating."!!
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Here's a transcript of his remarks; one of his lawyers, Sam Adam Jr., was very "combative", compared Blagojevich to Truman and did say the governor would continue to, uh, govern, but also, "If the people of Illinois are suffering, he will step aside."
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Blago
corruption
illinois
president-elect obama
Rod Blagojevich
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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