Convicted Chicago Rep. Defends Illinois Politicians

Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), once accused of corruption, said that Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) own corruption case shouldn’t tar the whole state.

Rostenkowski wrote on The Daily Beast that there’s a big difference between running a sloppy office and “staging a personally-beneficial auction,” which is what Blagojevich is accused of doing with the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.

“It bothers me, too,” Rostenkowski said of the governor’s alleged actions. “It would be a mistake, though, to conclude that Chicago or Illinois produced a disproportionate share of bad apples. They