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January 28, 2009

'I'm The Anti-Nixon': Rachel Maddow Interviews Blagojevich

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow sat down with embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich veihmetly denies trying to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat. Also in the interview he discusses his relationship with Roland Burris and calls himself the 'anti-Nixon' because he wants "every taped conversation to be heard."

The interview is broken down in four parts. What follows is a partial transcript.

MADDOW: You have handled this ordeal with a lot of political skill--so far. T his media tour that you have done in New York has really effectively overshadowed a lot of what's going on in the Illinois State Senate right now. I would also say that your appointment of Roland Burris to the senate seat, it was accepted by the Senate, which was a big embarrassment to the U.S. senators who said that they would not accept him. Those are politically skillful moves. Do you feel weirdly in a way, that you're sort of winning? That there's a chance you might, politically, survive this ordeal?

BLAGOJEVICH: No, I don't. I think the fix is into the State Senate. Unless they change their rules and give me a chance to defend myself. And most importantly, give the people of Illinois, who've elected me twice to office, a chance to bring all the evidence that's relevant to show that I've done nothing wrong. Every taped conversation. Witnesses from Rahm Emanuel to Dick Durban to Harry Reid to Senator Menendez to Valerie Jarrett; every single witness who--might testify at a criminal case, bring them all in now. Because I'd like the whole truth to come out sooner rather than later.

And let that Senate impeachment process take what it's doing and honestly and objectively determine whether or not there was anything done that was wrong. And once they hear the whole story they'll find out that I didn't do anything wrong, and I did a lot of things right.

***

MADDOW: Well, on the wiretaps, you're quoted saying, "It's a bleeping valuable thing. You don't just give it away for nothing. If they're not going to offer anything of value I might just take it. I've got this thing and it's bleeping golden. I'm not just giving it up for bleeping nothing." In what possible context could you say--say things like that if you weren't trying to exchange something of value for the senate seat? What other context would make ...

BLAGOJEVICH: Well, let me answer that two ways. First, I can't comment specifically on that, 'cause I haven't heard those tapes. But assuming that's what it is, if you hear all the tapes, and you hear the whole thing in its context, if I feared that that was something sinister or onerous would I want all those tapes heard?

And, in addition to that, just playing devil's advocate, I'm not acknowledging that's what actually were on the tapes, 'cause we haven't had a chance to hear it. But playing the devil's advocate in assuming it was. Why can't the construction of that be I want them to help me pass a public works program, a jobs program, that the Democratic speaker, Mr. Madigan, has been blocking.

I want them to help me help 45,000 working people get healthcare that the Democratic speaker in the house has been blocking. I want them to help me have a law that requires insurance companies to cover people with preexisting medical conditions that the Democratic speaker has been blocking.

The complete transcript of Maddow's interview with Blagojevich is available here.

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