A former chief of staff and longtime friend of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday and promised to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their corruption case against the former governor. ...more

October 21, 2009

Illinois' former first lady won't be queen of the jungle. ...more

June 23, 2009

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., won't face a perjury charge over statements he made to state lawmakers investigating how he got his job, but the junior senator still faces the task of salvaging his political future and shaking the stigma of his link to the disgraced former governor who put him in office. ...more

June 20, 2009

Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the target of comedians' jokes since his arrest and impeachment, is getting in on the laughs with Chicago's famed The Second City. ...more

June 11, 2009

Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't allowed to appear in a network television reality show in Costa Rica, but his wife will. ...more

May 21, 2009

Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties. ...more

March 4, 2009

As Roland Burris, the junior senator from Illinois, took his first turn presiding over the Senate last week, hired staff members to fill his Washington office and announced co-sponsorship of a measure commemorating the role of slaves in building the Capitol, politicians back home were plotting who might replace him. ...more

March 2, 2009

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris kept out of sight Friday as longtime friend Gov. Pat Quinn joined the roster of fellow Democrats calling for his resignation following his disclosure that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, while the White House urged the senator to take the weekend to consider his future. ...more

February 20, 2009

Test yourself with our weekly political pop quiz. ...more

February 20, 2009

A group of black ministers who supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as he fought to get his job now plan to ask for his resignation following revelations that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday. ...more

February 19, 2009