Durbin Folding on Burris? Already?

Although Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is still refusing to sign Burris’s certificate of appointment, he signed a certificate yesterday saying that Blagojevich’s original appointment is "true and accurate."

And after all the tough talk yesterday about how the Senate will stand firm, wait for Blago to be impeached, and only accept an appointment from Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, it looks like Dick Durbin is doing the el-foldo:

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says a subtle maneuver late yesterday by Roland Burris and his attorneys may be enough to get the former Illinois Attorney General seated in the U.S. Senate.

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Burris’ attorneys are touting that signature even though it’s not on the right piece of paper. Senator Durbin is the assistant majority leader in the Senate. He says the move by Burris may be enough to satisfy the Senate, though he stresses Senate lawyers will have to review it.

This is a complete reversal from what Durbin said less than less than twenty-four hour ago.

Last Tuesday, when Roland Burris made his trip to the Senate, David Shuster pointed out someone standing at his side — William Jeffress. Shuster noted that it was like old home week for CIA leak veterans who had watched Jeffress in court doing battle with Fitzgerald during the Libby trial. Jeffress is top notch, and, at the end of the trial, there were a few of us wondering whether the verdict would’ve been the same if Jeffress, and not Ted Wells, had been the lead counsel.

As I mentioned yesterday, Durbin and Reid seem to be getting some questionable legal advice, but Roland Burris is not.

I’m still shaking my head after reading the Politico article that recounts how Senate Democrats sent a "strongly worded letter" to Blago telling him he should step down and they wouldn’t seat any appointment he made. "After sending their letter, Senate Democrats thought the matter would then fizzle away."

Right.

Meanwhile, as Marcy Wheeler notes, it looks like Blago’s attorneys were at the very same time actively seeking to exonerating Blago from charges that he attempted to sell the Senate seat by orchestrating wiretaps with both Danny Davis and Burris where there was no quid-pro-quo involved in an appointment.

It’s downright scary to think that Reid and Durbin do politics for a living.

h/t Progress Illinois

Related posts:

1. Burris Makes it Official: Will Not Run for “Re”-Election (And GOP Rep. Kirk Won’t Run Either!)
2. Roland Burris Will Vote Against Any Bill That Doesn’t Have a Public Plan
3. Burris: Health Care Reform Must Have a Public Option
4. Dick Durbin: List Building off the Public Option for Fun and Profit!
5. BREAKING: 30 Senate Democrats Stand Up for a Public Option