Ex-Sen. Roland Burris an issue in Chicago trial

By Michael Tarm
Published September 28, 2014 1:40am ET
Add Washington Examiner on Google
Ex-Sen. Roland Burris an issue in Chicago trial
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, file photo, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee member Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., left, sits next to fellow member Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Allegations against Burris, 77, who held a Senate seat from 2009 to 2010, arose during a pre-trial hearing Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, for a Chicago man charged with illegally lobbying U.S. lawmakers to lift sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) | Pablo Martinez Monsivais

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois Democrat appointed by disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to a U.S. Senate in 2008 has become an issue in the lead-up to a federal trial in Chicago, with defense attorneys claiming onetime Sen. Roland Burris was once accused of seeking to extort a business.

Word about the allegation against Burris, who held the Senate seat from 2009 to 2010, arose during a pre-trial hearing Friday for a Chicago man charged with illegally lobbying U.S. lawmakers to lift sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.

Tag:

Illinois