Senate Sgt. at Arms to Consult with Burris

Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer said Monday that he plans to consult with Senate appointee Roland Burris on Tuesday morning to prevent any dramatic confrontation at the entrance to the chamber.

Gainer, who knows Burris from his days as director of the Illinois State Police and the state’s deputy inspector general, also downplayed the possibility of any such confrontation.

“I talked with the staff of Mr. Burris, and we are going to talk in the morning, Tuesday morning, and decide how to proceed,” Gainer said. “Mr. Burris is a law-abiding, law enforcement type of person, so we do not expect any kind of unpleasant scene.”

Burris was appointed last month by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the Senate seat formerly held by President-elect Barack Obama, but Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on charges that he tried to sell his appointment to the seat prompted Senate leaders to publicly state they will not allow Burris to be seated.

–J. Taylor Rushing