Senate Democrats Clear Burris as Obama's Successor

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna added: "Democrats chose to trust a madman over the people of Illinois" by seating Burris instead of blocking Blagojevich's appointment and holding a special election.

U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris, left, speaks as his attorney Timothy Wright III listens during the Illinois House Impeachment Committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

(AP)

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week that under state law, Burris' appointment paperwork was valid and that it was up to the Senate to decide whether to seat him. But Reid and other Democrats had contended that it violated Senate rules unless the appointment was signed by both the governor and the Illinois secretary of state.

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After lawyers for Burris and the Senate met for under an hour in the Capitol to review the documents, Reid and Durbin issued the statement that they were satisfied both with the documents and with Burris' testimony before the impeachment panel that he did nothing wrong.

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Associated Press writer Deanna Bellandi in Chicago contributed to this report.

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