Ill. Gov. Blagojevich pledges to fight, won't quit

A combative Gov. Rod Blagojevich served notice Friday that he has no intention of quitting over his corruption arrest, declaring: "I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong. The forceful three-minute speech marked the first time the former amateur boxer directly addressed the allegations since his arrest 10 days earlier. With it, he made it clear that removing him could be uglier and more drawn-out than anyone imagined just a week ago, when the governor's career appeared to be in its final hours and nearly the entire political establishment seemed to be holding a death watch. I'm not going to quit a job the people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob, a composed and deliberate-sounding Blagojevich said at his downtown Chicago office building. He took no questions from reporters and immediately left the room after wishing his listeners, Merry Christmas, happy holidays. The 52 year old Democrat is charged with scheming to sell President elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for big campaign contributions or a lucrative job for himself. Prosecutors built their case on Blagojevich's wiretapped conversations.

Related searches: out, illinois, governor, pledges, fight, blagojevich

Blagojevich Speaks Out, Pledges to Fight