U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012.  REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov  (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Obama says saddened by Blagojevich corruption case

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CHICAGO | Tue Dec 9, 2008 3:13pm EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Tuesday he was saddened by a corruption case involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and that he was not aware of Blagojevich's alleged efforts to sell the Senate seat Obama had vacated.

The governor was arrested earlier on Tuesday for allegedly seeking money from potential candidates for the U.S. Senate seat that Obama had held until he was elected.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with former Vice President Al Gore, Obama said he was "saddened and sobered" by the case.

Asked if there had been contact by him or his staff with Blagojevich or his staff about the seat, Obama said: "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening. But as I said it is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don't think it's appropriate to comment."

(Reporting by Steve Holland, editing by David Alexander)

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