Team Obama Clears Itself In Blagojevich Affair

An internal review of Barack Obama’s staff by Barack Obama’s staff found “no indication of inappropriate discussions” with embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to auction the president-elect’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Reuters:

The report by Obama’s office detailed contacts between Obama staffers—including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel—and employees in Blagojevich’s office and concluded that there was “no indication of inappropriate discussions with the governor or anyone from his office about a ‘deal’ or a quid pro quo arrangement in which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the vacancy.”

The U.S. attorney’s office, in announcing the charges against Blagojevich this month, said Obama was in no way implicated. The transition team review also said Obama had not spoken to the governor about these issues.

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