Obama says his office had no role in Illinois governor scandal

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama Thursday said no one in his office engaged in dealmaking with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich over who would succeed him in the Senate.

FBI agents arrested Blagojevich on Tuesday on federal corruption charges related in part to the selection of Obama's successor as a U.S. senator. Federal officials said Blagojevich was looking to sell or trade the position.

Obama said the vacant Senate seat is not for "any politician to trade," and he said he had never spoken to the governor on the subject.

He said he was confident that "no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat." The Senate seat "belongs to the people of Illinois and they deserve the best possible representation," he said.

Obama said he's asked his staff to gather facts of any contacts made with the governor's office.

He also touched on how the Senate vacancy should be filled.

"This Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade. It belongs to the people of Illinois. They deserve the best possible representation," he said. "I hope and expect the leaders of the Legislature will take these steps to ensure this is so."

Earlier Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she is prepared to "take action" against Blagojevich if he does not resign.

"Obviously, the easiest way for us to move on in the state of Illinois is for Gov. Blagojevich to do the right thing for the people and to resign," Madigan told CNN's "American Morning."

"If he fails to, the two other options are obviously the Legislature moving forward on impeachment, or I have the opportunity to actually go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare basically that our governor is unable to serve," she said.

In that case, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would become acting governor, Madigan said.

Meanwhile, Quinn said if the governor did not resign, he would likely be impeached. "Hopefully, upon reflection, the governor will decide that the interest of the common good and the people of Illinois require that he step aside and resign from office," Quinn told NBC.

"If the governor doesn't act, he will be impeached," he said, adding that he believed the impeachment process would be unhealthy for Illinoisans.

The lieutenant governor said if he becomes acting governor, he may appoint someone to the vacant U.S. Senate seat, rather than hold a special election.

"In general, I'm for the voters deciding who the next senator would be, or any other public official," he said. However, "we may have extraordinary circumstances," he added.

"Illinois does not want to go to Washington in this time of economic crisis without having two senators, so if I am governor, I'm going to evaluate everything at that moment and decide what's best for the people."

Obama on Wednesday joined other top politicians and called for the Illinois governor to resign.

"The president-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Obama's former partner in the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, also has called on Blagojevich to step down immediately.

"Beyond guilt or innocence, the charges against you raise serious questions about your ability to carry out your duties as chief executive of our state," Durbin wrote in a letter sent to Blagojevich.

Durbin also asked Blagojevich not to name a successor to Obama.

"Because of the nature of the charges against you, no matter whom you were to select, that individual would be under a cloud of suspicion. That would not serve our state, our nation, or the United States Senate," Durbin wrote.

Even if Blagojevich named a replacement for Obama, it is unclear whether the Senate would seat the governor's choice. The Constitution gives the Senate the sole authority to decide who is qualified to serve as a senator.
Gibbs said Obama also supported legislation that Illinois lawmakers will consider next week to authorize a special election to choose his successor.

Obama believes the lawmakers should "put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois," Gibbs said.

The Illinois Legislature will begin a special session Monday to consider legislation that would authorize a special election to choose Obama's successor.

Cindy Davidsmeyer, a spokeswoman for Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, said a House committee was scheduled to consider the bill Monday afternoon and then the full House would vote afterward. iReport.com: Do you trust your leaders?

The Senate could consider the legislation as soon as the next day, Davidsmeyer said.

Obama on Tuesday declined to comment on the arrest, saying, "Like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office."

Obama also said he had not contacted Blagojevich about his possible successor, adding, "I was not aware of what was happening."

But Obama adviser David Axelrod told a Chicago television station in November that Obama had spoken to the governor about his successor.

Axelrod corrected himself Tuesday, saying, that the president-elect and Blagojevich "did not then or at any time discuss the subject."