BURRIS’ BUSY WEEK…. Roland Burris held an eight-minute press conference at a Chicago airport this morning, en route to D.C. for a meeting or two. It didn’t go especially well.
The whole thing is worth watching, but Burris expressed total confusion as to why anyone would question his status as a senator-designate. “Why don’t you all understand that what has been done here is legal?” Burris asked reporters, adding, “That’s legal, I am the junior senator from Illinois and I wish my colleagues and the press would recognize that. All the drama, I guess it keeps you all in a job.”
Asked if he’s bothered by Illinois becoming a national embarrassment, Burris again blamed the media.
Worse, Burris was reminded that he’s been subpoenaed to appear in Springfield as part of the impeachment probe at the same time he plans to be in Washington to negotiate for the Senate seat. Asked how he would do both at the same time, Burris said, “I’m the magic man.”
Oh my.
On a related note, we talked the other day about the possibility of “armed police officers” preventing from going onto the Senate floor to the oath of office. CNN then reported that the Democratic leadership has decided that Burris “will not be allowed on the Senate floor.” If he tries to enter the chamber, “the Senate doorkeeper will stop Burris.” Should Burris persist, “U.S. Capitol Police would stop him.”
Today, Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, who knows Burris from his days as director of the Illinois State Police, said he plans to talk to Burris and his staff tomorrow to “prevent any dramatic confrontation at the entrance to the chamber.”
