Sen. Burris pleads for a chance amid calls to resign

Senator Roland Burris (D-IL) speaks at a luncheon hosted by the City Club of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois February 18, 2009.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Fending off calls for his resignation, Roland Burris on Wednesday said he would cooperate with investigations into whether his appointment to a U.S. Senate seat was tainted by dealings with the former Illinois governor accused of trying to sell the seat.

Inconsistencies in how Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, described his contacts with the staff of disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich have led to an investigation of Burris by a county prosecutor. A probe by the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee was also under way.

Burris, who took the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama, told a civic group there was "never a hint of scandal" in his 30 years of public service, "and I've never asked for anything in return until today -- I ask you today to stop the rush to judgment."

But some local Democrats and newspaper editorials in the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post said Burris can no longer be believed and called for him to resign.

The Chicago Tribune said: "The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. It finally snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four."

Senate Democratic leaders had held up Burris' December 30 appointment to Obama's Senate seat because of charges against Blagojevich, who federal prosecutors said was caught on FBI wiretaps trying to sell the seat. Burris, Obama and Blagojevich are all Democrats.

Burris testified at impeachment hearings in the Illinois legislature that led to Blagojevich's ouster for abuse of power. Blagojevich has denied wrongdoing and has not been indicted.

After Burris testified he had contact with only one Blagojevich aide prior to his appointment, Burris filed an affidavit weeks later saying he talked with four other aides. Among them was the governor's brother, who Burris has since said asked him to raise money.

Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, said Burris' statements "raised questions."

"His sworn testimony ... was not complete and we need to have the complete story before a final conclusion can be reached," Durbin said.

On Wednesday, Burris repeated his claims of innocence.

"The governor's brother reached out to me as he has for a number of years to do fundraising. But I did not give one single dollar," Burris said.

Burris said he would willingly cooperate with prosecutors and investigators but would refrain from speaking to reporters any more about it.

"What I will no longer do after today, now that there is an ongoing investigation, is engage the media and have facts drip out in selective sound bites," Burris said.

If Burris resigns or is removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the Senate -- a rare event -- his replacement could be named by Blagojevich's Democratic successor, Patrick Quinn, or be decided by a special election that would give Republicans an opening.

(Editing by Vicki Allen)