Sergeant at arms to consult with Burris

Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer said Monday that
he plans to consult with Senate appointee Roland Burris on Tuesday morning to
prevent any dramatic confrontation at the entrance to the chamber.

{mosads}Gainer, who knows Burris from his days as director of the
Illinois State Police and as the state’s deputy inspector general, also
downplayed the possibility of any such confrontation.

“I talked with the staff of Mr. Burris, and we are going
to talk in the morning, Tuesday morning, and decide how to proceed,” Gainer
said. “Mr. Burris is a law-abiding, law enforcement type of person, so we do
not expect any kind of unpleasant scene.”

Burris was appointed last month by Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich (D) to the Senate seat formerly held by President-elect Obama, but
Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on charges that he tried to sell his appointment to
the seat prompted Senate leaders to publicly state that they will not allow
Burris to be seated.