WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Illinois' lieutenant governor predicted Sunday the state's embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich, will be out of office by mid-February.
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that the governor, who is charged with peddling the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, will be impeached and removed from office by the time Abraham Lincoln's birthday rolls around.
"The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth is Feb. 12 of next year, and I don't think Governor Blagojevich will be governor at that time," Quinn said. "That bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth is very special to the people of Illinois."
State lawmakers want Blagojevich removed from office while the federal corruption charges against him are pending. If he were ousted from office, Quinn would take over and preside over a special election to select a new governor. It also remains to be seen who succeeds Obama in the Senate.
