This morning, Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed up on WLS' Don Wade & Roma to discuss his complaints about the Senate impeachment trial.  It appears this may be the first of several media appearances he plans on making in the coming days, with the Sun-Times' Michael Sneed reporting rumors today that he's in talks with ABC about possibly granting interviews to Good Morning America or The View.

As is par for course with Don and Roma, the interview itself was a mockery, complete with questions about why he hadn't picked Don as our next U.S. Senator.  But then again, that's obviously why Blagojevich chose their show.

The governor was on air for over 30 minutes.  The following excerpt, however, encapsulates the argument he's attempting to deliver to "the people": that the Senate won't allow him to bring witnesses to the impeachment trial, that this is a violation of the U.S. Consistution, and that this entire process is "about getting rid of me to raise taxes on people."  Listen below (full transcript at the end of the post):

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A "soldier in the fight for constitutional rights"?  Read Eric Zorn on why the impeachment trial rules aren't a "sham" and do not violate the Sixth Amendment.

And you gotta love how, towards the end, he accuses the General Assembly of doing their work in a "far away place" (i.e. Springfield).

Blagojevich also asserted during the interview that he'd be saying more later today.  Not sure what the venue is going to be, but we'll probably find out soon. (UPDATE: We've got our answer.  MSNBC just reported that the governor will be holding a press conference at 2 p.m. CT.)

UPDATE II (6:49 pm): Via Capitol Fax comes word that Blagojevich is scheduled to appear on the ABC's Good Morning America and The View on Monday.

You can hear the full WLS interview here.

Transcript:

DON: Now governor, come on.  You often say that the truth will set you free.  You've said that in many different ways.  Why not just show up in Springfield and sit there and tell them the truth?

BLAGOJEVICH:  I'm challenging them.  I'm asking Senate President Cullerton and the leadership to allow me to do that.  And to be able to tell the truth is to allow me to go down to Springfield to bring the witnesses who will substantiate the things that I say.  It's one thing for me to say, "I didn't do anything wrong."  But when Rahm Emanuel, the president's chief of staff, is sitting there with me and says what he said on Face The Nation -- that there was nothing innappropriate.  And when Valerie Jarrett, a top staffer to President Obama, sits there with me and tells to them what she told the FBI -- that there was nothing inappropriate.  And when Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. goes down to Springfield and is there with me and tells them -- as he's told the FBI -- that he didn't do anything wrong with me.  And all these other witnesses I'd like to call -- then I think it will be a clear-cut case that I did nothing wrong and a lot of things right.  But again, this is less about what this is.  It's all about getting rid of me to raise taxes.  That's what the play is with the leadership in Springfield.

DON: Governor, you're here on WLS on Friday morning.  On Monday morning, you have a choice: you can either be in Springfield at a trial or you can be on The View talking to Barbara Walters.  So I'm guessing by what you're saying so far, you're going to be at The View.

BLAGOJEVICH: Let me explain the importance of why not participating in an unconstitutional impeachment is important.  There's a much bigger issue than just me. They can throw me out -- that's immaterial.  And I can be a soldier in the fight for constitutional rights and the right of the people of a state to elect their governor and have their governor -- for better or for worse -- being their governor and only removed for constitutional reasons like wrongdoing and impeachable offenses after giving a fair trial.  That's not what's happening here.

If I participate in that sham impeachment, which doesn't allow me to bring witnesses -- a violation of the Sixth Amendment -- then I will be participating in an unconstitutional activity.  I will be giving creedence to that unconstitutional activity and I will undermine the people and their right to choose a governor.  Now, if they make the rules fair, I'll be the first one there, 'cause I'm dying to show my innocence and then we can move on and I can continue to be governor.  But they're not allowing me to do that.  I told you why. 

And again, if you think about it long term, if they get away with removing a governor without allowing a governor to have due process, without allowing a governor to bring witnesses in to prove and show his innocence, then the next governor is going to face the same kind of dynamic and the next one and the next one.  And you tell me how the next governor is going to be willing to take on the General Assembly as I have -- to prevent them from raising taxes on people, to find ways -- legal ways -- to expand health care for middle class families, to find ways that they didn't like to give all our seniors free public transportation, to find ways to be able to help our senior citizens by going to Canada and getting the same medicines they get here but getting them for half the price there, so they can afford both their medicine and their groceries. 

You tell me what the next governor is going to do. He's going to cower, he's going to kiss their you-know-what, he's going to do everything they want -- including their tax increase -- because he's going to be afraid that what they just did to me, they'll do to him.  And you're going to have governors elected by the people who are going to basically be precinct captains for these legislative leaders and these lawmakers who the people don't know and can't hold accountable because they're faceless and they're nameless and they hide in the state capitol -- in a far away place -- working with the special interests at the expense of the people's interest.