Who Am I?
I am Rod Blagojevich's handpicked director of the Illinois Department of Veteran's affairs and a former Congressional Candidate.

What I've said about Blagojevich
"I admire Governor Blagojevich's unbending commitment to giving every person in Illinois access to health care*...As a soldier I fought for my country, and now I thank Governor Blagojevich for giving me the opportunity to fight for my fellow Illinois veterans". (State News Service, GOV. BLAGOJEVICH APPOINTS TAMMY DUCKWORTH AS NEW DIRECTOR OF ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS' AFFAIRS, November 21, 2006)
* Note: Governor Blagojevich was impeached for his conduct relating to those healthcare programs.

What I have done for Blagojevich
I supported his reelection in 2006. "In a letter back to Roskam, Duckworth says she supports Blagojevich's re-election. "But that does not mean that I give him, or anyone else, a pass on ethical behavior," she said in the letter." (Daily Herald, Roskam asks Duckworth if she backs Blagojevich, August 4, 2006)

Apparently I ignored numerous press reports that the Blagojevich administration had been illegal skirting veterans' preference laws in state hiring when I said I wouldn't give him a pass. "Officials aren't providing details, but The Associated Press has found, for instance, that one person was hired for a job in a small county with few veterans but was allowed to work in Chicago. If the hiring had been done in Chicago, veterans who applied would have had priority. The Blagojevich administration also hired the son of a campaign donor but called him an intern, which exempted him from the usual hiring procedures. In fact, the administration has hired scores of politically connected people as interns." (Associated Press, Questions and answers about political hiring and Rod Blagojevich, July 17, 2006)

"The state inspector general has reported that the Blagojevich administration has gotten around state rules that give hiring preference to veterans by hiring people in rural counties, where few veterans apply for jobs, and then moving the jobs elsewhere." (Chicago Tribune, Pay for play(time), September 22, 2006)

What Blagojevich has done for me
His staffers circulated nominating petitions for my 2006 Congressional race. "Several Blagojevich staff members circulated nominating petitions last fall to get Duckworth on the ballot." (Daily Herald, Blasting opponent's Chicago ties Spokesman for Democratic candidate dismisses accusations as 'cheap theatrics', May 19, 2006)

He endorsed my candidacy. "Blagojevich and then-Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also made high-profile endorsements of Duckworth's 2006 campaign, an ultimately unsuccessful political proxy war with then-Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who represented a neighboring district." (Roll Call, Illinois Pols Covet Obama's Senate Seat, August 22, 2008)

Blagojevich appointed me state Director of Veteran's Affairs to give himself cover on veterans' issues. "Facing criticism over his record on veterans issues, Gov. Rod Blagojevich turned Tuesday to former congressional candidate and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth to run the state's Veterans' Affairs Department." (Chicago Tribune, Duckworth will run Illinois vets' agency; Move seen aiding Blagojevich image, November 22, 2006)

Blagojevich also threw a party in my honor at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. "The governor hosted a party for Duckworth in Denver Tuesday night, in a move that raises her profile, but also threatens to tie her to his challenged administration." (Daily Herald, Duckworth to speak on veterans' issues, August 27, 2008)

My own ethical issues
I misused state property for a political event. "But when Duckworth drove up to the event for Democrat Dan Seals in a state-owned white Dodge van, she violated another law banning the use of state property or resources for political purposes. By the time the event was over, the van had been moved out of sight of the Wheeling AMVETS Post 66 building, where reporters gathered to hear her endorse Seals." (Chicago Tribune, Tammy Duckworth took time off from job as state Veterans Affairs director to attend a campaign event but ran into controversy, September 18, 2008)

I got money from a friend of Tony Rezko. "Roskam slammed Duckworth for a $1,000 campaign contribution from Myron Cherry, an attorney whose name is mentioned in this week's federal corruption indictment of Antoin Rezko, a close supporter of Gov. Rod Blagojevich." (Daily Herald, Candidates trade barbs during debate, October 13, 2006)