Washington, DC—The Campaign for Fair Elections released the following statement on the conviction of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on one count of lying to federal agents.

Statement by David Donnelly, campaign manager of the Campaign for Fair Elections:

“You can try to sell a Senate seat, but what can be proven as corrupt in today’s political system is nothing but the cover-up. Convicting Blagojevich for lying to the feds is the equivalent of sending Al Capone to jail for tax evasion when all Americans knew the mob was running American cities into the ground.

“But this scandal isn’t about Al Capone and it’s not even about Rod Blagojevich. It’s about our broken political system that encourages candidates to raise special interest money and trade favors to build political power.

“If a politician can do everything that Rod Blagojevich did and not be convicted on 23 other counts, it’s no wonder the American people no longer have faith that their elected officials work for them.”

The Campaign for Fair Elections is working to pass the Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826, S. 752), legislation that would put elections back in the hands of voters. With Fair Elections, elected officials would be accountable solely to their constituents, instead of the corporate interests and lobbyists currently funding campaigns.

Learn more at www.fairelectionsnow.org.