Burris says he's 'absolved,' won't discuss future

A day after being cleared of potential perjury charges, Sen. Roland Burris ducked media questions Saturday, refusing to discuss the opinion of a Sangamon County prosecutor and what it might mean for his future.

"I have no comment. I'm not going to discuss that," Burris said at a scholarship luncheon for high-achieving black male students in the south suburbs, sponsored by a chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at the Matteson Holiday Inn.

"I'm very pleased with what the Sangamon County state's attorney presented, that there was no pay-to-play, and I'm fully vindicated from any of those charges, and I look forward now to doing my job in the U.S. Senate," Burris said.

On Friday, Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt said Burris will not be charged with perjury over his testimony before the Illinois House panel managing impeachment proceedings against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Though Burris' testimony on communications with Blagojevich's brother and chief of staff over Burris' interest in the Senate and potential fund-raising for Blagojevich -- who later appointed him -- was "incomplete," Schmidt said, the omissions did not fit the legal definition of perjury.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was Saturday's keynote speaker. But Burris also spoke to the students, telling the audience it was "outrageous" that the Senate has only two Hispanic senators and one black.

"And that's me," he said. "And friends, we might not have any black in the Senate if I'm not there. But that's another story."

He told the students they may sometimes have to stand alone, even though they may want to feel part of a group. "Every single one of us wants to be liked, even Roland Burris, who just got absolved of this so-called perjury charge," he said to applause. "Every single one of us wants to be accepted, wants to be part of the group."