 CHICAGO, Illinois (Ucs News) -- Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich vowed Friday to make himself and Illinois the laughing stock of the nation while fighting federal corruption charges. Despite calls for his resignation amid allegations that he attempted to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former Senate seat for cash and gifts, Blagojevich maintains he has "Done nothing wrong."
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich spoke to reporters at a news conference Friday but did not take questions. In a prepared statement Blagojevich declared "I will obfuscate, I will deny, I will evade until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong,"
The spirited comments were the first public statements from the second-term governor about the allegations since his arrest December 9 on federal corruption charges.
Federal prosecutors have accused the governor of trying to sell Obama's former Senate seat. Prosecutors also allege the governor and his former chief of staff, John Harris, tried to have Chicago Tribune editorial board members fired by leveraging state assistance to the parent company of the newspaper, the Tribune Co., in its sale of Wrigley Field.
Blagojevich said he was "dying" to show his innocence, but maintained he would reserve his comments for an appropriate forum.
"I'm not going to do what any sane person would do, I'm going to play this out in the public eye bringing even more disgrace to the voters that mistakenly elected me." said Blagojevich.
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