Formal Illinois State Governor Blagojevich Scandal

On December 9, 2008 Illinois state governor Mr. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested on charges of conspiracy and soliciting bribes. Under state law, Mr. Blagojevich is assigned to name a replacement for Mr. Obama, who recently resigned as Illinois’ junior senator with two years remaining in his term. The formal governor was accused of trying to sell this senate seat for cash to the highest bidder a spokesman for the governor said he denied any wrongdoing. The governor was also accused of racing to solicit millions of dollars in donations from people with state business before an ethics law bars such behavior in January, and threatening to rescind state money this fall from businesses, including a Chicago hospital for children, whose executives refused to give him money. He is also accused of putting pressure on The Chicago Tribune to fire members of its editorial board who had criticized him “www.nbcchicago.com” If this accusations turn out to be true this would be very unethical of the formal governor, who could be sent away to jail for many years if found guilty.
I read this on www.nytimes.com President Elect Obama issued a statement saying “I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not — I was not aware of what was happening,” Mr. Obama said. “And as I said, it’s a sad day for Illinois. It’s a sad day for Illinois clearly states the sad nature of this event. In my opinion trying to sell a united state senate seat in return for cash is not only ethically wrong but also morally wrong. It is ethically wrong because by law the governor is responsible to find a well qualified candidate to fill the senate seat. This is a responsibility entrusted in his care by the state laws and not to be used to for personal financial gain.After the arrest of the governor, this was a huge scandal and tinted the image of the formal governor. To manage this scandal would need “effective scandal management”.
The governor and his team of lawyers tried to counter the entire negative image, by portraying the governor as unshaken by these allegations. The governor released a press statement saying "I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath," he said. "And I'm not going to quit a job that people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob, I am dying to answer these charges. I am dying to show you how innocent I am," he said. I intend to answer every allegation that comes my way. However, I intend to answer them in the appropriate forum -- in a court of law. And when I do, I am absolutely certain that I will be vindicated," (www.chicagobreaking nes.com).
Despite all his pleas of innocence on January 29, 2009 the governor was impeached by the senate and therefore removed as the Governor of Illinois with the assistant governor being sworn in as the governor.
I think the governor played his only card right by refusing to step down as the governor of Illinois. This was the only bargaining power he had in order to maybe get a lighter sentence if he was found guilty of all charges.