If you didn’t know better you might think it was a scene out of a Hollywood movie, but unfortunately it wasn’t. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning on multiple charges of conspiring to get financial gain from filling the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama, as well as several other charges of using his governorship to basically extort and have others fired.

According to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, “the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering.”

The 51 year old governor apparently tried to basically “sell” the Senate seat to whoever could give him and his wife the biggest financial benefits. Court authorized wiretaps caught it all on tape. And the discussions aren’t pretty. It’s just incredible at the amount of corruption and stupidity that occured.

The FBI has a 76 page affidavit outlining all that went on, including Blagojevich talking about getting himself a nice salary in a nonprofit foundation somewhere. He also discusses getting his wife set up on corporate boards where she can get herself a $150,000 yearly salary.

The affidavit even has Blagojevich quoted as saying, “I want to make money.”

Chief of staff John Harris was also arrested this morning.

Another charge against the governor is for illegally threatening to cut off assistance to the Tribune Co involving the sale of the Chicago Cubs. To get Blagojevich’s state assistance, he demanded that newspaper editorial staff, who were critical of him, be fired immediately.

Elected on the promise to clean house after former governor George Ryan was convicted of fraud and racketeering, Blagojevich has instead become corrupt himself. There is also an ongoing federal investigation involving an alleged $7 million scheme aimed at squeezing kickbacks out of companies seeking business from the state among others.

Guys like Blagojevich are just a micorcosim of what is wrong in political and governmental system. Let’s hope swift justice occurs in this case and he is quickly removed from office.

What are your thoughts on the Illinois govenor and these charges?