Roland
Burris may return to Washington next week to demand that he be accepted
as the legitimate Senate appointee to replace President-elect Barack
Obama and be sworn into office, according to a Burris adviser.
If Burris' appointment is not accepted, he will file a lawsuit
challenging Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Democratic leadership's
refusal to seat him, the adviser said.
"Unlike last time, there's now a sense that we've been forced into a
corner and must be more direct with Senate leaders," the adviser said.
"They're breaking the law and act as if they have the upper hand and
can dictate terms for an entire state. There is nothing left to
negotiate; they must seat the legally appointed senator."
Reid and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have refused to seat
Burris, arguing that his appointment by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
was not certified by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
But on Friday night, White submitted a document to the Senate
certifying Burris' appointment. White's action followed an earlier
decision by the Illinois Supreme Court, which ruled that Blagojevich's
approval alone was all that was needed for Burris to take the seat.
Reid's office said that the Democratic leadership was consulting with
its own legal team and made no decision yet on its response to this
latest development.
Durbin told reporters on Friday, before news of White's certification
broke, that it would be best if impeachment of Blagojevich moves
forward in the Illinois Senate, the governor is removed from office,
and then Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn appoints Obama's replacement. The
Blagojevich impeachment proceedings are not expected to be completed
until mid-February. The Illinois House voted by a 114-1 margin on
Friday to oust Blagojevich.
It is unclear if Quinn would back Burris as the Obama replacement,
which may be driving Burris to be seated as soon as possible.
Burris and his advisers, armed with both the Blagojevich appointment
and White's certification, are refusing to back down in their dispute
with the Senate leadership, and they now want to increase the pressure
on Reid and Durbin to accept him as the newest senator from Illinois.
"We are frustrated after doing everything we could to cooperate and to
help diffuse this unfortunate situation," said the Burris adviser. "We
made a genuine effort to be respectful and to minimize our level of
confrontation. But Reid and Durbin have forced our hands and have
called into question their own credibility to be trusted as honest
negotiators. They're now nearly guaranteeing that there will be a
direct confrontation on the week of inaugural."
The adviser also said that having Quinn appoint an Obama successor is illegal and that Blagojevich's appointment must stand.
"The option to have Quinn make a Senate appointment is not legal," the
adviser said. "The governor's appointment can't be retroactively
revoked. Illinois already has two senators."
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