Blagojevich closing statement at his impeachment trial — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00now if I felt I did something wrong I
2. 0:02would have resigned in December if I
3. 0:05felt I'd violated a law I would meet my
4. 0:08responsibilities I would have resigned
5. 0:10in December I wouldn't put my family
6. 0:12through this i would put you through
7. 0:14this and most importantly i wouldn't
8. 0:16people put the people of Illinois
9. 0:18through this but I didn't resign then
10. 0:21and I'm not resigning now because I have
11. 0:24done nothing wrong and all I ask of you
12. 0:27is to give me a chance to show you that
13. 0:29I have done nothing wrong let me bring
14. 0:32those witnesses in and sure there's
15. 0:35political embarrassment to members of my
16. 0:37party in faraway washington d.c sure
17. 0:39there's some inconvenience but all the
18. 0:42witnesses i'd like to call will testify
19. 0:44honestly and they did nothing wrong
20. 0:46either they had political conversations
21. 0:49with me about a decision regarding a
22. 0:51united states senator let them come in
23. 0:54here and talk about those conversations
24. 0:56and let me show you that I've done
25. 0:58nothing wrong I cannot possibly admit to
26. 1:01something I didn't do and it's not about
27. 1:04me as much as it is about not shaming my
28. 1:07daughters so that they're dead they
29. 1:09might think may have done some things
30. 1:10that he didn't do and allowing them to
31. 1:13have this feeling that I let them down
32. 1:14and even more important than my
33. 1:16daughters the people of Illinois it is
34. 1:19painful to be in a position like this
35. 1:20it's painful to hold your tongue and not
36. 1:23be able to say too much because people
37. 1:25are telling you you shouldn't do
38. 1:26anything and they've already rushed to
39. 1:27judgment and say you did something you
40. 1:29didn't do it is painful to be in a car
41. 1:32and drive and see people sitting
42. 1:34standing at bus stops or walking down
43. 1:36the street who voted for you presumably
44. 1:38more of them did that didn't and they've
45. 1:41hired you and trusted you and you're
46. 1:43dying to tell him I didn't do it I
47. 1:45didn't let you down give me a chance to
48. 1:47show you it's painful and it's lonely
49. 1:50but I want you to know I want you to
50. 1:54know I never ever intended to commit a
51. 1:57criminal act I never in any conversation
52. 2:00intended to violate any criminal law all
53. 2:03the conversations wards and all ought to
54. 2:07be heard this is not Richard Nixon and
55. 2:10Watergate trying to keep the tapes from
56. 2:11being heard I want all the evidence
57. 2:13her and I want it sooner rather than
58. 2:15later so I can clear my name and we can
59. 2:17get on doing the things that matter most
60. 2:20I want to thank you for giving me a
61. 2:22chance to be here I know these are tough
62. 2:24times I want to apologize to you for
63. 2:26what happened but I can't because I
64. 2:29don't think because I didn't do anything
65. 2:31wrong these are circumstances that have
66. 2:33happened and I'm sorry that we're all in
67. 2:35this I'll apologize for that and I
68. 2:37apologize for maybe pushing and prodding
69. 2:39too much and the rest in the past but I
70. 2:42want you also to know that whatever you
71. 2:44do here and I hope you think about the
72. 2:46big broad picture and the brig
73. 2:47consequences not me think about future
74. 2:50governor's think about the
75. 2:51constitutional rights that involved
76. 2:52think about the precedents think about
77. 2:54the civil liberties that we Americans
78. 2:55all enjoy think about the dangerous
79. 2:58precedent of removing me without proving
80. 3:00any wrongdoing if it could happen to a
81. 3:02governor it could happen to any citizen
82. 3:03and then I would say to all you think
83. 3:06about the things we've been able to do
84. 3:07together health care for all of our kids
85. 3:09first in the nation preschool for three
86. 3:11and four-year-olds best in the nation
87. 3:13record amount of money in education all
88. 3:16of our senior citizens riding public
89. 3:17transportation for free holding the line
90. 3:20on taxes think about all the good things
91. 3:22we've been able to do for people give me
92. 3:24a chance to stay here so we can roll up
93. 3:26our sleeves and continue to do good
94. 3:29things for people thank you very much