By Associated Press
Springfield, IL – Governor Rod Blagojevich says he's innocent and he's not going to quit. The embattled Democrat took less than 50 minutes to deliver his closing statement before the Illinois Senate's impeachment trial today.
He insisted repeatedly that he's done nothing wrong, and he said he shouldn't be removed from office over unproven criminal charges and stale complaints about his management decisions. Blagojevich told the senators that they haven't proven a crime, and he says they "can't because it didn't happen."
He also told lawmakers that he would like to apologize but couldn't because he didn't do anything wrong. And he said: "It's painful and it's lonely, but I want you to know I never, ever intended to commit a criminal act."