The U.S. Attorney investigating the case told him to hold off on releasing the info to the public for a week as to not interfere with the current investigation.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/15/blagojevich/index.html
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama and his transition staff had no inappropriate discussions with either Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich or Blagojevich's staff about filling Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat, according to a review of transition activities conducted by Obama's staff.
"There is nothing in the review that was presented to me that in any way contradicted my earlier statements that this appalling set of circumstances that we've seen arise had nothing to do with my office," Obama said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
Obama noted that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who is heading the investigation of Blagojevich, has requested a week's delay of the public release of the review so that it would not "interfere with an ongoing investigation" of the governor.
Obama addressed the Blagojevich situation Monday when he took questions from reporters after announcing his energy and environmental team.
"As I said in a press conference last week, I had no contact with the governor's office," he said. "And I had no contact with anybody in the governor's office."
Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer also said that Obama had directed transition counsel Gregory Craig to keep Fitzgerald's office "informed of this fact-gathering process in order to ensure our full cooperation with the investigation."
Blagojevich was arrested last week after federal prosecutors accused him of trying to "sell" Obama's vacant Senate seat by pressuring possible candidates to provide campaign contributions and other favors. Illinois law gives the governor sole power to appointment interim senators.
Blagojevich's arrest has thrown Illinois politics into chaos, and many of the state's political leaders -- and Obama -- have called on the governor to resign.
Obama's comments came the same day that Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan announced the formation a 21-member legislative committee to consider the possible impeachment of Blagojevich.
The committee will include 12 Democrats and nine Republicans.
Madigan, a Democrat, said that due to "the gravity of the subject matter," the committee's Democratic members will all be longtime members of the state Legislature. Each member will have served at least six terms.
Madigan promised that while he has often opposed Blagojevich's agenda, his "record of opposition ... will not stand in the way of this committee affording to the governor all of his constitutional rights under the federal and state constitution, rights such as due process [and] equal protection under the law."
He also promised the panel will work continuously, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as well as New Year's Eve and Day, "until they have rendered a judgment."
Madigan is the father of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Lisa Madigan is trying to get the state Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich "unfit" for office.
There are other signs that Blagojevich could be preparing for a fight. He spent nearly eight hours Sunday talking to a high-priced Chicago attorney known for helping big shots in a bind.
Blagojevich spoke briefly with reporters outside his attorney's office Sunday afternoon. When asked if he will resign, he said, "I just think you should all have a great holiday season."
"There will be an appropriate time to talk about this, but let me just wish everybody happy holidays," he said. "Things will work out just fine."
On Friday, Lisa Madigan petitioned the state Supreme Court to remove Blagojevich temporarily from office or at least strip him of some of his authority, arguing that the governor was "disabled" and cannot carry out the functions of his office.
If Blagojevich does resign, or if the state high court removes him from office, Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would become acting governor.
On Sunday, Quinn again called on the governor to leave office voluntarily.
"I hope the governor does resign," Quinn said. "I think that is best for the people of Illinois as well as himself and his family. ... He obviously needs to do something because our state is in crisis."
We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. –Raoul Duke
It is hard to shed anything but crocodile tears over White House speechwriter Patrick Buchanan's tragic analysis of the Nixon debacle. "It's like Sisyphus," he said. "We rolled the rock all the way up the mountain...and it rolled right back down on us...." Neither Sisyphus nor the commander of the Light Brigade nor Pat Buchanan had the time or any real inclination to question what they were doing...a martyr, to the bitter end, to a "flawed" cause and a narrow, atavistic concept of conservative politics that has done more damage to itself and the country in less than six years than its liberal enemies could have done in two or three decades. -Hunter S. Thompson
