Assistant ex-governor Illinois, involved in the corruption scandal, pleaded guilty

One of the assistants of the now former Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagoevich, accused of involvement in a loud corruption scandal around his boss, pleaded guilty.

The statement of John Harris, who held the post of head of the apparatus of Blagoevich, was corresponded in the district court in Chicago, ITAR-TASS reports.

The scandal around Blagoevich erupted in December 2008 due to the fact that he, according to investigators, tried to receive a material reward for making a decision on who would take a place in the Senate of the US Congress, liberated by Barack Obama after the presidential election.

According to the laws currently in Illinois, the right to appoint a new senator if a person who holds this post cannot work in the upper house of the country's main legislative body, belongs to the state governor.

Harris pleaded guilty to the only charges against him. Its essence is that the 47-year-old assistant Blagoevich had a telephone conversation in which he discussed the governor’s proposal for the appointment of the then assistant to Obama Valerie Dzharrett.

In exchange for this, Blagievich hoped to receive, although, obviously, and not for himself, the post of leader supported by the trade union movement of the organization Change to Win. Jarrett herself is now a senior adviser to the head of the White House.

Harris Terry Ekl, lawyer said that Blagievich would be sent on trial on an extortion charge. In this process, Harris can become a very valuable witness to the prosecution and will be able to tell a lot about the corruption of his former chef, the lawyer added.

For the willingness to help justice the prosecutor's office agreed to reduce the potential sentence to Harris for a period of not more than 35 months, but the lawyer may try to achieve even greater concessions for his client.

Blagievich himself, who was impeach for the Legislative Assembly of Illinois, does not admit his guilt.