Chicago - Illinois U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris is leaving for Washington Monday afternoon for a high-stakes showdown on Capitol Hill about whether he'll succeed President-elect Barack Obama in Congress.

    Burris, appointed by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich, was leaving a day after dozens of black leaders and ministers organized by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush gave him a rousing send-off at New Covenant Church on Chicago's South Side.

    Also Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the chances of Burris being sworn in are slim. But, Reid said he expected to meet with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Monday evening in hopes "we can solve this issue on a bipartisan basis." Reid added, "I'm an old trial lawyer. There's always room to negotiate."

Also see below:     
Secretary of the Senate Rejects Burris's Appointment    •

    At the church sendoff, Burris took the stage to a crescendo of drums, organ music and applause as hundreds of supporters cheered his appointment.

    "We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained," Burris said. "I am not hesitating. I am now the junior senator from the state of Illinois. Some people may want to question that and that is their prerogative."

    Opponents say Burris' appointment is tainted because it was made by Blagojevich, who is accused by federal authorities of offering to sell the vacancy to the highest bidder.

    Burris, a former state attorney general, says the appointment is legal and the governor had the authority to do it. He has threatened to sue Senate Democrats if they refuse to swear him in as the chamber's only black member.

    Meanwhile, Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero says the paperwork naming Burris to the seat was received by the secretary of the U.S. Senate on Monday but not formally accepted. It was delivered by an official representing the governor.

    Reid said there would be "a cloud over anyone that comes from the state of Illinois being appointed by Blagojevich."

    The second-ranking Democrat, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, acknowledged that his Blagojevich has the state constitutional authority to fill the vacancy.

    "The Senate of the United States has the U.S. constitutional responsibility to decide if Mr. Burris was chosen in a proper manner and that is what we're going to do," Durbin said.

    Burris said he attempted to arrange a meeting with Durbin on Monday or Tuesday but learned he was too busy. He said the two made an appointment for Wednesday, the day after new senators are set to be sworn in.

    Democratic leaders, however, plan to afford Burris few, if any, privileges even if he were to come to the Capitol with the proper credentials.

    Senate officials have said a Democrat will object to Burris being duly sworn with the rest of his class Tuesday and will propose that his credentials be reviewed for a period of time by the Senate Rules Committee. That would give Burris the status of a senator-elect and buy some time as Democrats hope Blagojevich will be removed from office before the committee completes its investigation.

    At New Covenant Church, Rush called the Senate the "last bastion of plantation politics." The Chicago Democrat said blacks had been "excluded systematically for too long."

    But several people sitting in the pews during the Burris send-off said their support for his appointment has nothing to do with the him being African-American.

    "I'm elated, very happy, overjoyed. Burris has served this community for many years," said 66-year-old D. Shepherd, a retired minister from Chicago. "He's the best man under the circumstances; it's not because he's black."

    While the Burris furor dominated public discussion, Illinois lawmakers quietly continued work that could lead to Blagojevich being removed from office.

    Members of the Illinois House impeachment committee reviewed a 54-page draft summary of the allegations against the Democratic governor. Lawmakers said the summary did not include any recommendations on whether Blagojevich should be impeached. That will come after the panel finishes its fact-finding - perhaps by the middle of this week.

    The impeachment committee hopes to learn Monday whether it will be given access to some of the federal government's recordings of Blagojevich. It also wants Burris to testify about his conversations with the governor that led to the Senate appointment.

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    Associated Press writer Christopher Wills contributed to this report from Springfield.

Secretary of the Senate Rejects Burris's Appointment

Monday 05 January 2009

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by: Chris Fusco and Natasha Korecki, Chicago Sun-Times

    Judge also grants prosecutors 90-day extension to indict Blagojevich, former chief of staff.

    Firing the first shot in Washington in the fight over the appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, Gov. Blagojevich's acting chief of staff hand-delivered Burris' nomination certificate to the Capitol Monday morning - only to see it rejected by the secretary of the Senate.

    Chief of staff Clayton Harris delivered the certificate around 8 a.m. EST, said Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero.

    The secretary of the senate and two assistants acknowledged receipt of the document "but did not formally accept it" because it did not bear Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's signature, Guerrero said.

    White refused to sign the certificate last week, joining the chorus of politicians who say Blagojevich is not fit to fill the vacant seat because of his Dec. 9 arrest on corruption charges. The governor and Burris are hoping the Illinois Supreme Court will force White to sign the document.

    In another development, White Monday morning did sign a "writ of election" issued by Blagojevich setting April 7 as the date for a special general election to fill former Rep. Rahm Emanuel's Northwest Side congressional seat. The writ also calls for a March 3 special primary in the 5th congressional district should one be necessary.

    Emanuel formally resigned from Congress on Friday. He's set to become President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff.

    By law, the governor is required to set the date of a special election for a congressional seat within five days after the vacancy is created.

    The governor has the sole authority, however, to appoint somebody to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy. And Blagojevich's selection of Burris, a former Illinois attorney general and comptroller, last week rocked the political landscape.

    Burris is expected to leave for Washington this afternoon. Senate Democrats have vowed to try to stop him from filling the seat left vacant by Obama. Also Monday, a federal judge granted prosecutors a 90-day extension to indict Gov. Blagojevich and his former chief of staff, John Harris.

    U.S. District Judge James Holderman's decision means prosecutors have until April 7 to secure an indictment, which is needed before the case can go to trial.

    "This is a complex case such that it would be unreasonable to expect the government effectively to prepare the evidence for presentation to the grand jury in a shorter time period," Holderman wrote.

    Monday afternoon, Holderman will take up the government's request to release four phone calls to a House committee investigating whether to impeach Blagojevich.