Burris links

Burris' son hired by state housing authority - AP

Burris' sone got state job from Blago - Sun-Times

Now that is a much sexier headline than the previous one, if I may say so. Excerpt:

The son of embattled Sen. Roland Burris is a federal tax deadbeat who landed a $75,000-a-year state job under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich five months ago, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 -- about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Housing Development Authority indicated Wednesday there was nothing improper about Burris II's employment by the agency, whose mission includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives.

Burris II's hiring, however, raises more questions about Sen. Burris' interactions with Blagojevich and his inner circle at a time when the governor was soliciting Sen. Burris for campaign contributions and Burris was angling to have Blagojevich appoint him to the Senate seat once held by President Obama.

Well the heat of this story may not cool off yet!

Furor shouldn't keep Burris from doing his job - AP

Burris back to work - AP

Sen. Roland Burris went back to work on Wednesday, giving a speech on the Senate floor and presiding over a body he has been told by many that he should quit.

Burris gave a two-minute speech from the Senate floor in support of a voting rights bill, then presided over the Senate for an hour, a tradition for freshman. He was scheduled to spend another hour with the Senate gavel later in the evening.

"Allow these 600,000 residents to become full citizens," Burris told a virtually empty Senate chamber in support of a bill that would give a congressional seat to Washington, D.C.

A Problem Like Burris - The 11th Hour

It has been the right thing to do for people like Dick Durbin and several from the Illinois Congressional delegation to call for his resignation but, in the end, it’s Burris’ decision. Burris didn’t do the right thing in accepting the appointment so I don’t expect him to do the right thing now. I think we may just have to continue registering our displeasure with him (to keep the pressure on in case he does eventually cave) while keeping in mind that he is really just part of a Blagojevich hangover that will eventually go away on its own with time.

Burris appoints 2 to staff - AP

In a news release today, Burris says he's appointed Brady King as his interim chief of staff and Jim O'Connor his communications director.

Defending Burris - Times Argus