Burris Likely To Be Seated This Week

WASHINGTON — Eager to put the scandal-tainted standoff behind them, Senate Democrats accepted Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's Senate successor on Monday and said they expect to swear in the new Illinois senator this week. "He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a joint statement.

At a news conference in Chicago, Burris called himself honored and humbled to be the state's next junior senator. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve," he said and added: "I recognize that my appointment triggered a challenging time for many."

Monday's development prevented the impasse that has plagued Democrats from dragging on into Obama's inauguration festivities that begin this weekend, and it capped a grudging, gradual retreat by the Senate's top Democrats.

Initially they had tried to dissuade Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who faces a state Senate impeachment trial, from making an appointment and suggested that his pick would not be seated. Last week, Burris' credentials were rejected by Senate Democrats in a circus-like atmosphere that tarnished the opening day festivities of the new Congress.

But Reid and Durbin said they now anticipate that Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, will be seated this week, barring objections from Republicans.

They made the announcement after Burris' lawyers delivered to the Capitol documents certifying his appointment to Obama's seat, and the secretary of the Senate determined that the paperwork met Senate requirements.

While a victory for Burris, the move is a major reversal for Senate Democrats.

They initially indicated they would refuse to seat Burris and objected to the appointment by Blagojevich, who is accused by federal investigators of seeking to trade the Senate seat for personal favors.

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Senators feared that any appointee would be tainted.

Even though Burris does not stand accused of wrongdoing, Senate Democrats rejected Burris last week only to quickly backpedal after Obama himself privately weighed in and senators fretted that the situation was diverting their focus at a critical time.

Indeed, much to the chagrin of Democrats who expanded their House and Senate majorities in the November elections and won the White House, the standoff stretched into the new Congress' second week in session and has served as a distraction for Democrats trying to tackle an ambitious agenda.

It includes weighty tasks like holding confirmation hearings for Obama's new Cabinet while negotiating both the second installment of last fall's $700 billion financial bailout package and the president-elect's mammoth new spending plan aimed at jolting the economy.

Senate Democratic angst over seating Burris softened last week as the Burris appointment took on the feeling of a political sideshow.

Under pressure from Obama and rank-and-file Democrats to resolve the dispute, Reid said a "number of efforts" would be undertaken, including sending the matter to the Senate Rules Committee. He also said that "without any question" the entire Senate would vote on whether or not to seat Burris after Senate lawyers reviewed necessary documents and Burris' testimony in the Illinois House that he had promised Blagojevich nothing in exchange for the seat.

But Reid spokesman Jim Manley said Monday that Reid doesn't intend to have the Rules Committee review Burris' appointment, and that the Senate will vote on the appointment by unanimous consent unless there is an objection that would trigger a roll call vote.

From Illinois to Washington, Republicans assailed Senate Democrats for how they handled the issue.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who is leading the Senate GOP's election efforts, accused them of "arrogant mismanagement" and said: "This entire situation has been a national embarrassment that could have been avoided." He pledged to make winning the Illinois Senate seat a top priority for Republicans in 2010.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna added: "Democrats chose to trust a madman over the people of Illinois" by seating Burris instead of blocking Blagojevich's appointment and holding a special election.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week that under state law, Burris' appointment paperwork was valid and that it was up to the Senate to decide whether to seat him. But Reid and other Democrats had contended that it violated Senate rules unless the appointment was signed by both the governor and the Illinois secretary of state.

After lawyers for Burris and the Senate met for under an hour in the Capitol to review the documents, Reid and Durbin issued the statement that they were satisfied both with the documents and with Burris' testimony before the impeachment panel that he did nothing wrong.

___

Associated Press writer Deanna Bellandi in Chicago contributed to this report.

Comments

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Sarah Palin is a Clown, oh I mean Roland Burris is a Clown, watching him this morning on MorningJoe was absolutely sad; they were laughing at him and making fun of him and he was just going along with it; actually believing they were showering him with praise.

Mika asked him where did he stand on Blago at one point you support the thought that you thought he may need to resign, do think he should resign;

Roland the Clown"s just fumbled all over his words; she asked him would it be better for the state if Blago resigns and the man couldn"t answer that, .apparently he didn"t want to bit the hand they feed him.

This Clown also thinks because he won to be a delegate that he is electable and said he has never loss to a republican, ding ding ding, you can"t win against Blago, you can"t win in the primaries you are so delusional in your own mind. The whole entire interview was a joke and he thought they were siding with him when they were only making fun of him; what and embarrassment for the people of Illinois. I mean this was a really sad affair and any time you have PatBuchanan and JoeScarborough on your side it could never be a good day for a Democrat.

[changeme09]

i agree. burris the clown will only last for 1 1/2 years, as an illinoisan and a democrat, i would rather vote for a repub in order for burris to get lost. he was never for the people of illinois. as i know and reports shows that he was always for himself, self-power and greed!!!

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

I suggest Illinois put some pressure on their politicians to speed up the impeachment trail on Blago; can you imagine if President Obama had to hand over some stimulus money to this Corrupt Governor.

They really have to move quick or we will be embarrassed once again.
Kick this man out of office; so he will have no job and no money to pay for RKelly"s Lawyer.

[carnelld]

The Democratic Party in Illinois, and the Senate mis-handled this appointment. The had time to recognize Obama's possible and sbsequent election to the Presidency. Local Illinois politicians had favorite candidates and usually the National leadership takes their cue from the locals. Hence Reid contacted Blago on behalf of Madigan and another female. He also asked Blago not to appoint Danny Davis, Jones, and Jessie Jackson Jr., all African American.
It appears there was in-fighting and manipulation in Illinois. For what ever reason, the Federal prosecutor ignited a firestorm in the process. The subsequent confusion opened the door for the Republican to cause chaos, conflict, mis-information, character assassination, and the hope of gainig ground on the DEmocrats in Illinois.
When the Republicans could not leverage a Special election for the seat , some Democrats saw an opening for their favorite candidate. Blago refused to play and selected Burress legally. An appointment just that, an appointment. The only person with a vote on the appointment is the Governor.

[Thefamilyvan]

Burris gets seated which was expected. The main thing is to hold onto the Senate seat in 2 years. Illinois has to hang onto 2 Democratic seats and not give one up to a suburban Republican.... one who supported Bush in the past.

[gladys46]

GW totally insults the nation today inferring that he tried to forget being president by riding a high speed bike ... yet no comment by those complaining about holding on to a dem seat !?

[Thefamilyvan]

Makes one wonder....

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

So give the 5 time Loser the Seat any way just because he is Black.

I guess not working hard and an in ability to connect with the people of Illinois gets you a pass through the back door.

So what do non-Black voter say when an actual AA Candidate wants to run; should they take into account that Roland Burris a Tainted Politian was forced upon them because he was black; what happens to the AA Candidate with honor and integrity, should they now be punished because a small majority wanted to fulfill a two year dream.

After everything AAs and many others have been through when did working hard become a liability; when did having honor and integrity become a disqualification and when did selecting someone because of their race become mandatory?

Don"t you believe for one instant that Obama is at all happy about this; he simply wants this go away. Roland Burris has embarrassed this state long enough and if Obama really thought Roland Burris was the perfect person for this job he would have been on his short but that slot was preserved for Jesse Jackson not Roland Burris. Majority of everyone in Illinois already knew what a serial loser Roland Burris was and right now there are plenty of people who are upset and outrage.

[Thefamilyvan]

MorningJoe.... you are no African American by the way you're conducting yourself on this site...... Who are you to represent their point of view?

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

It funny how a selected few wants to know about my race and gender

So you want to know if I am black, and if so then why I am against this black man
So you want to know if I am not Black, then how you can comment of a race you know nothing about.

My thoughts and opinions are always independent of what ever my race is, my gender or class; I love the fact that I have the ability to compartmentalize and not be trapped into one particular category.

I don"t need to identify my race to have an opinion; I don"t need to identify my gender to opinion.

It's called being objective and not selective; it a refreshing feeling I must say.

[StillIRise]

It's very possible - though I don't pretend to know what I don't know - that Burris was not on Obama's list of recommended candidates for his seat because Burris was in retirement.

It's also possible that Obama really meant it when he said that he has great respect for Roland Burris, that he's qualified and that he looks forward to working with him. After all, Obama DID endorse Burris when he ran against Blago for governor.

Burris lost his election bids in these latter years primarily because of his age and his inability to compete effectively against his opponents, who were younger and more dynamic. Yet, Burris went into his retirement with a relatively unblemished record and the respect of many of his constituents in the African American community.

Many of us were disappointed that Burris accepted this appointment, but we recognized that he is not only qualified, but that the appointment is legal. The only relevance of his skin color is that he will be the only African American in the US Senate, which is why it was anticipated that another minority would replace Obama, since the other 99 seats in the US Senate were filled by whites. We didn't anticipate that it would be Burris, but he's as qualified as any of the other contenders.

Finally, Burris has not been forced upon us, and we do not feel that we are being punished, though I'm sure there are some exceptions.

[gladys46]

All of your points are spot on ... the point that strikes me is that it is very plausible that Burris was not on P.E.Obama's list of recommendations is because he was in retirement ! That is something I never thought of !

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

I respect 98% of your post with the exception of your last line because everything you said in the majority of your post is contradictory to what your last line says.

And I am sorry majority but the majority of Illinoisans did not want this man; and so essentially as I have said many times before, Illinois Voters are being forced to marry a man they've never wanted and there is no other way to describe it.

But as I stated 98% of your post is a respectable point of view.

[carnelld]

Roland Burress has a distinguished record of service in the State of Illinois. He served statewide as Attorney General and Comptroller. Obama's choice was his supporter Valarie Jarrett. Rahm Emannuelle als was involved in attempting to influence the appointment. Obama is happy to be President. Burress was not forced upon anyone, he was legally appointed by the Governor of Illinois as prescribed by law. Anyone can run for the seat in2010. No one has been punished, Burress had the courage to accept the legal appointment when no one else did. He will become one of 100 U s Senators in the United States of America.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Roland Burris is an embarrassment and you can cheerlead fot him all you want. But the Democrats now have their own version of Sarah Palin with two acceptions; she was able to get elected to mayor and governor and he is simply unelectable.

[changeme09]

Sorry, burris is a JOKE!!

[chitown]

Oh, the outrage over the appointment of Roland Burris to the Senate! Where were you guys when Lisa Murkowski was appointed to the Senate by her dad?

[Sammy00400]

I would have felt much better about the man if he didnt decide to file a lawsuit the day after he was picked. Given the circumstances surrounding his appointment he should have given things at least a week to settle down. As it stands, I cant imagine he will have too many friends.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

I would have felt better about the man if he hadn't played the race card.

[StillIRise]

The men who "played the race card" were Rod Blagojevich and Bobby Rush. I don't recall Burris playing that card, except perhaps to affirm that, except for PE Obama's seat, there were no other African Americans in the US Senate, and that was in response to a question he was asked.

[Matt7]

Good thing his career is not dependent upon your lack of imagination.

I mean . . . how DARE he stand up for himself . . . !

[gladys46]

I believe Burris innocent of any attempts to buy a senate seat ... I believe he knew that he was righteous on that issue .. therefore, the law began on his side and never left it !!! I appreciate his apparent integrity !

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

And the Chicago Press plans on reminding him every day

[AngusC]

I would rather they had lost the seat in an honest election to a Republican than to give it to this shameful man Burris.

[teachdemocracy]

How is Burris shameful? What has he done wrong? He is simply caught up in a scandal that happens to surround his wishes to serve as a Senator. Burris has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Blagojevich is the one who has brought more shame into our government.

[britethere]

Google Danny Davis. Danny Davis did the ethical thing .Burris sold his soul for ambition and is tainted

[hernan1333]

Saw Rachel Maddow interview of Burris. The guy is a joke and an embarrassment to the Democratic party. Regardless of legalities surrounding his appointment, he is an arrogant and shameless opportunist who should never accepted this tainted position from Blago the clown.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

You are right on every point; What a Clown

[macedonio]

He is a clown alright! And the man is not even wearing make-up. I am a democrat but I assure you I will be voting Republican next election. Get rid of the clown!!!!!!

[StillIRise]

I watched the same interview and was impressed quite differently. His responses were thoughtful and on point, in spite of the fact that Rachel tried to entrap him in a couple of answers, which she herself had to laugh about. Personally, with the cloud of corruption overshadowing this appointment, I feel that Burris should have declined. But with that said - and as PE Obama has also said - Burris is qualified and the appointment (though tainted) was legal. Burris did nothing wrong and he is not responsible for Blagojevich's alleged conduct. Obama endorsed Burris over Blagojevich in his bid for governor, and as an Illinoisan, I also voted for Burris over Blagojevich in that election and upon retrospect, it seems that I did the right thing. I'm not a cheerleader for Roland Burris, and if his appointment had been overrided, it really wouldn't have mattered to me. But at this point, it's clear that his appointment was within the legal authority of the governor's office, and though I disagree with him accepting the appointment, there is no reason why he should not seated and no reason why his character should be demonized simply because he took advantage of an opportunity that was presented to him, whether we agree with this or not. I doubt if there are many 71 year old politicians around who would not have done the same thing!

[gladys46]

Amen !

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

I also watched as Roland Burris fumbled all over his words. The man was so unimpressive. Apparently the only thing he wants to do is go play in his office. When asked about the stimulus package he just rambled on making no cognitive sense; for a man who claims he wants to serve the people of Illinois he clearly doesn't have a clue of what the people of Illinois need.

If you want to step into the big time you better come prepared because as a previous poster put it the micscope is going to be on you so hard they will know what color under-wear you have on.

My advice to Roland Burris you better get ready for the Chicago press because they won't forget this ; everything you do the will known, consider yourself the Democrats version of Sarah Palin.

[britethere]

Amen. The guy's a pathetic loser. Has lost the last four times he's run....no wonder

[rhondadavis28]

tainted man

[happy1234]

I have no respect for Mr. Burris because of the way he sought the Senate seat. He might not have bought the seat, but if he was a person of real integrity, he would not approached Mr. Blagojevich for the Senate seat and would not have accepted the offer from Mr. Blagojevich regardless of the fact that Mr. Blagojevich has not been indicted yet. Mr. Burris's ambition trumped all other considerations. I would be ashamed of him if I were from Illinois. So, even though he will be seated as the next jJnior Senator from Illinois, I would have had more repsect for him if he had refused the offer. But, I guess, he is a typical politician who took advantage of the situation for his own benefit when others like Mr. Davis had the courage of conviction to refuse the offer from Mr. Blagojevich!!!!

[Kim444]

I agree and the Dems and kiss the seat good bye in 2010...Those who think Burris can win in 2010 are some serious drugs...

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Give the P issed off Democrats a week someone is going to declare their intent for this seat; they are waiting until after Obama is sworn in to office and then they will begin their move. The intent is to campaign so hard that no will ever notice they have been stuck with Roland Burris.

[teachdemocracy]

I have an idea, how about giving the man a chance and see how he performs, rather than holding a 2 year grudge and voting based on emotion, rather than intellect.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Obama welcomes Burris

Transition communications director Dan Pfeiffer puts out a statement on the seating of Roland Burris in his Senate seat:

As the President-elect has said repeatedly, he knows Roland Burris and has high regard for him. He looks forward to working with Senator Burris and the rest of the United States Senate to rebuild our economy and meet the great challenges of our time.

Obama had also called Blagojevich's move to fill his seat "disappointing." But we're in cut-your-losses territory here.

[ohiomark]

Looks like Dingy Harry finally realized that he had no legal leg to stand on in keeping Mr. Burris out of the Senate.

You Libs must be so proud of your Senate "leader".

[AngusC]

Look brain dead.
Just because you are a Democrat does not mean you are a liberal.
Turn off Rush and Hannity and pick up a book once in a while.
God, you all sound the same.
And no, I am not proud of Reid at all.

[ohiomark]

I was speaking to the liberal drones who support these people. Only a liberal would deem this behavior acceptable and vote for them again.

If you see Dingy Harry for the nitwit that he is, then you are probably smarter than the average Democrat.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

"There is no guarantee that the 71-year-old will actually run, of course. And if he does, he'll carry the heavy burden of being appointed by the first Illinois governor ever impeached--and probably the first ever removed from office. Burris can expect a strong challenge in both the Democratic primary and the general election--and this is a guy who's already lost three statewide elections.

In the meantime, it's not likely that Burris will do much to make his mark in Washington. So with any luck, we'll almost be able to forget he's there."

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

"Outside of the Burris family, there are probably not many Illinoisans who are thrilled by today's announcement from Senate Democratic leaders that "barring objections from Senate Republicans, we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in and formally seated later this week." Going from Barack Obama to Roland Burris is no one's idea of improvement"

[Stud99]

Ah he'll vote the democrat line just like Obama. Same same.

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

Wish that vote came with better integrity!!!

[StillIRise]

I'm an Illinoisan, and I don't have a problem with this appointment. In my opinion, going from Barack Obama to anyone to replace him in the Illinois Senate would not be an improvement!

[MorningJoeMikaIsMarried]

In fact this appointment is a major step back.