"My name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from Illinois"

In a press conference, Burris tells reporters he was turned away from the Senate.

Published January 6, 2009 4:20PM (EST)

Roland Burris held a short press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to announce that he had been turned away from the Senate, and that he will not -- for today, at least -- try to force the issue. "I am not going to seek to have any type of confrontation. I will now consult with my attorneys and we will discuss our next move," Burris said.

Still, he did refer to himself as "the junior Senator from Illinois," and maintained that the secretary of the Senate's refusal to accept his appointment "was improperly done and is against the law of this land."


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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