Prosecutor wants feds' tapes involving Burris
SPRINGFIELD | Seeks them for probe into whether senator perjured himself
A Downstate prosecutor investigating whether Sen. Roland Burris perjured himself before a House impeachment panel has asked federal authorities for any recordings involving Burris for use in the probe, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times.
Any such conversations have not been made public but are part of the federal investigation into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Federal authorities are considering the request, sources said.
The Republican prosecutor, Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt, has zeroed in on conversations between Burris and the governor's brother Robert Blagojevich, who chaired the ex-governor's campaign fund.
Those particular conversations have been a significant issue for Burris since the Sun-Times first reported last month that Burris failed to disclose, both under oath and in public statements, that Robert Blagojevich hit him up for money on the ex-governor's behalf.
After the report, Burris revealed he tried raising donations from others but was unable to. He also disclosed three conversations with Robert Blagojevich in October and November. Federal authorities started recording calls in the probe in mid-October.
Any recordings could be key evidence in a perjury probe to determine Burris' frame of mind when he testified before the panel Jan. 8 and whether there were other inconsistencies in his testimony.
Robert Blagojevich's lawyer, Michael Ettinger, would not comment when asked if Schmidt has sought to interview his client.
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Rep. Jil Tracy (Mount Sterling) all confirmed to the Sun-Times they were interviewed by Schmidt.
"I had nothing to offer. The transcript, the record, speaks for itself," said Currie, the panel's chairwoman, who described the questions she was asked as "very bland."
Tracy said her 40-minute interview focused on the transcript of Burris' testimony and her recollections of the Jan. 8 hearing where he appeared.
Durkin and Tracy questioned Burris in detail about whether he had spoken to any Blagojevich representatives about his interest in being appointed senator.
In response, Burris identified only former Blagojevich chief of staff Lon Monk. On Feb. 5, Burris' lawyer sent a letter to Currie to amend Burris' testimony by acknowledging he had talked about his interest in the post with five other members of Blagojevich's inner circle, including the ex-governor's brother.
Meanwhile, in a related development, a Democratic-led Senate subcommittee voted 3-2 along party lines to kill GOP legislation establishing a special election to replace Burris.