Blagojevich Finally Speaks: 'I Will Fight, I Will Fight, I Will Fight Until I Take My Last Breath'

Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress at 12:46 PM on December 19, 2008.

In his first appearance since being accused of engaging in a "political corruption crime spree," Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich defiantly rejected the many calls for him to resign from office. Blagojevich insisted that he would "fight" the "political lynch mob":

I'm here to tell you right off the bat that I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, that I intend to stay on the job, and I will fight this thing every step of the way. I will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong. ... And I'm not going to quit a job that people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob.

Watch it:

"I am dying to tell you how innocent I am," he said. "I am absolutely certain I will be vindicated."

Tagged as: corruption, chicago, illinois, gov. rod blagojevich, corrupt establishment, blago talks

Satyam Khanna is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.