Only in the home state of Barack Obama...
( SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) --
As members of Illinois' newest General Assembly took the oath of office
Wednesday, the state that's still struggling to rebuild its image after
two consecutive governors went to prison set yet another precedent of
sorts: three sitting lawmakers facing criminal charges.
Illinois is no stranger to dramatic headlines about the
nexus of politics and crime in its highest offices - most recently
former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's conviction for attempting to sell Barack
Obama's former U.S. Senate seat. But experts and capitol veterans can't
recall a comparable circumstance for state legislators since the early
1970s, when several were rounded up in a bribery trial involving cement
trucks.
The allegations against the three officials vary
widely: bribery, bank fraud and trying to bring a gun onto a plane. But
experts say that while the charges differ, the accumulation and timing
is damaging to Illinois as it struggles to address some of the most
serious financial problems in its history.{...}
The three legislators, Rep. Derrick Smith, Rep. La Shawn Ford and Sen.
Donne Trotter, are Chicago Democrats who were all sworn into office
Wednesday in Springfield. But that's where the similarities end.
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