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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, On January 8, 2009, Roland Wallace Burris
3 testified under oath to the House Special Investigative
4 Committee on the circumstances connected to his appointment to
5 the United States Senate by former Governor Rod Blagojevich;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, While under oath, Burris responded to questioning
8 regarding his communications with the governor or anyone
9 closely related to the governor about the Senate appointment;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Burris was directly asked whether he had spoken
12 about the Senate appointment with anyone "closely related to
13 the governor, including family members or lobbyists connected
14 with him"; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Burris was directly asked if he had contact with
16 six specific individuals connected with Governor Blagojevich;
17 and
 
18     WHEREAS, Speaking under oath, Burris answered this
19 question in the negative; and
 
20     WHEREAS, In an affidavit dated February 4, 2009 and

 

 

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1 submitted to the chairperson of the House Special Investigative
2 Committee, Burris sought to revise and extend his January 8
3 testimony to the Committee; and
 
4     WHEREAS, In this February 4th affidavit, Burris for the
5 first time revealed conversations with five advisors to
6 Blagojevich, all of whom Burris had previously denied, under
7 oath, that he had spoken to; and
 
8     WHEREAS, At the January 8, 2009 hearing of the House
9 Special Investigative Committee, several representatives asked
10 Burris whether there had been any "quid pro quo" involved in
11 Blagojevich's decision to appoint Burris to the United States
12 Senate; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Speaking under oath, Burris, on January 8,
14 answered these questions in the negative; and
 
15     WHEREAS, On February 16 and 17, 2009, Burris made public
16 statements admitting to having discussed taking on a
17 fundraising role for the former Governor; and
 
18     WHEREAS, On February 17, 2009, Burris, speaking in Peoria,
19 admitted to reporters that he had "called some people about
20 trying to see if we could put a fundraiser together" for the
21 former Governor; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The contradictions between these statements made
2 by Burris under oath on January 8, 2009, and affidavits after
3 the fact suggest that Burris did not tell the whole truth and
4 nothing but the truth before the House Special Investigative
5 Committee and violated his oath and potentially committed an
6 act of perjury; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9 United States Senator Roland Burris is hereby condemned and
10 reprimanded by the Illinois House of Representatives; and be it
11 further
 
12     RESOLVED, That we strongly urge the United States Senate to
13 view the obvious contradictions in Senator Burris' testimony
14 and later statements as a reason for expulsion from the Senate;
15 and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That, if the members of the Senate Ethics
17 Committee believe, after an inquiry into the facts of this
18 case, that their duty requires them to recommend that the
19 Senate use the power granted by Section 5 of Article I of the
20 Constitution of the United States of America to expel a member
21 from their ranks by two-thirds vote, that we urge the Senate,
22 sitting as a whole, to adopt this recommendation and take

 

 

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1 action to expel Roland Burris from its ranks; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this preamble and
3 resolution be presented to the Illinois delegation of the
4 United States House of Representatives and to the senior and
5 junior United States Senators from the State of Illinois.