WASHINGTON
The Senate ethics committee yesterday admonished Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee recommended no action beyond the letter.
Burris was appointed by disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and driven from office after he was accused of trying to sell the Senate seat.
The committee cited at least one example -- a phone conversation with the governor's brother -- in which Burris linked his willingness to raise funds for the governor with appointment to the Senate.
While finding no violation of law, the committee's "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" told Burris that "Senators must meet a much higher standard of conduct" than he exhibited with his constantly changing statements.
The ethics panel has often been criticized for failing to go beyond letters of admonition after finding that a senator's conduct discredited the institution.
Weakened and facing multiple primary challengers next spring, Burris has decided not to fight for a full Senate term next year. Fellow Democrats shun him. Meanwhile, the former governor is scheduled to go to trial in June.
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