Blagojevich: Arrest Was My Family's Pearl Harbor

Impeached governor plans to fight to the end, but won't appear at Senate trial
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2009 9:40 AM CST
Blagojevich: Arrest Was My Family's Pearl Harbor
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich leaves his home in Chicago yesterday.   (AP Photo)

Say this for Rod Blagojevich: He doesn’t embarrass easily. In an interview yesterday with the AP, he compared his arrest to Pearl Harbor: “Dec. 9 to my family, to us, to me, is what Pearl Harbor Day was to the United States. It was a complete surprise, completely unexpected. And just like the United States prevailed in that, we’ll prevail in this.”

Blagojevich said he won’t resign before the impeachment trial scheduled for next week in the Illinois state Senate—which is “a rush to judgment” by lawmakers. “The reason they’re doing this is because they can’t wait to get rid of me so they can raise taxes on the people of Illinois," he said. “This is as much about a tax increases as it is about anything else.” (More Rod Blagojevich stories.)

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