The 'Governor-In-Law’

Mell went public, claiming Blagojevich was trading positions for money—a charge that surely caught the attention of prosecutors. There were echoes in the complaint made last week by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who charged that Blagojevich was soliciting financial favors in exchange for the United States Senate seat left vacant by the election as president of Barack Obama. It was Blagojevich who had the power to name Obama's replacement—at least before the scandal broke. Now Blagojevich faces calls for his own ouster. The state's Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, has tried to have him removed from office as unfit, a move the state Supreme Court rebuffed on Wednesday. Legislators, including those in his own party, vow they will move to impeach him.

For the first time today since his arrest, the governor spoke with reporters in front of his Chicago home. "I can't wait to begin to tell my side of the story," he said, adding that he was "dying to talk" to the people of Illinois. But he said there was "a time and place for everything," and quoted his hero, Elvis Presley, telling reporters, "hang loose."

Mell does not speak with Blagojevich. Indeed, he has been on the outs with his daughter, too. So that Mell can see his grandchildren, one meeting was arranged at a skating rink—since the alderman he has not been welcome in the Blagojevich home. Mell told reporters recently that he spoke to Patti shortly after the arrest for the first time "in a long time." He described his daughter as "loyal, sometimes to a fault," and said she would "jump down my throat" when he argued with her husband.

He has defended his daughter's salty language on federal tapes, saying she was "in a pressure cooker." "Barbara Walters called her a potty mouth," Mell told reporters. "I wonder what Barbara Walters sometimes says in a heated moment."

In general, however, Mell has kept mum on the scandal. Reached by NEWSWEEK for this article, Mell asked simply, "Is it about Blagojevich?" referring to his son-in-law by his last name. He has declined to comment on family matters, other than to declare his concerns about his daughter and grandchildren. Mell has not indicated whether he thinks his son-in-law should resign or stay and fight, or to signal his view of how Obama's seat should be filled.

Mell's king-making days have scarcely ended. In this year's election, he helped another daughter, Deborah Mell, win election to the state legislature. Deborah Mell, a lesbian and advocate of greater rights for gay people, was once arrested at a protest for gay marriage. The alderman has been clear about supporting her. "If your child comes to you and tells you this and you really have a problem with it and it becomes a real issue," he told reporters, "you really don't deserve to call yourself a parent."

Deborah Mell remains close to Patti. On the day of the arrest, Deborah was photographed getting out of a car outside the Blagojevich home on the North Side of Chicago, taking soda pop and some other supplies to the besieged family, which includes two young children. She expressed worry about Patti to Sun Times reporters. "This is absolutely not my sister. Patti is a mother, a sister and a devoted wife."

Alderman Mell, who has made a small fortune in the industrial springs business, remains a powerful presence on the City Council. He votes with Mayor Richard M. Daley on almost all matters-like many other Chicago aldermen do.