Ethics panel admonishes Obama Senate replacement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Roland Burris, saying he had been less than candid about his gubernatorial appointment to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.

In taking the action, the panel decided the Democratic Illinois senator's behavior, while "reflecting unfavorably upon the Senate," did not merit censure or expulsion from Congress.

After Obama resigned from the Senate to be sworn in as president in January, Rod Blagojevich, then-governor of Illinois, considered a number of possible candidates before appointing Burris to temporarily replace him.

Blagojevich was indicted in April on corruption charges, including that he tried to sell the Senate seat. He was impeached and removed from office by state legislators.

Burris has said he did not offer Blagojevich anything in exchange for the seat, and has refused calls to resign.

In a letter of "qualified admonition" to Burris, the panel said it found he had provided "incorrect, inconsistent, misleading or incomplete information" about his appointment.

"While the committee did not find that the evidence before it supported any actionable violation of the law, senators must meet a higher standard of conduct," the panel wrote.

Burris replied: "I am pleased that after numerous investigations, this matter has finally come to a close."

"I thank the members of the Senate Ethics Committee for their fair and thorough review," said Burris, who has said he will not seek election next November to a full, six-year term.

In June, an Illinois prosecutor investigating Burris' appointment said there was insufficient evidence to charge him with perjury.

The prosecutor said some of Burris' answers to questions by an Illinois legislative committee in January were vague, but he did not lie about his discussions with Blagojevich's aides.

After Burris testified to the Illinois panel, a requirement demanded by Senate leaders before they would seat him, he amended the testimony to explain that he had additional contacts with the governor's brother, Rob Blagojevich.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro; editing by Mohammad Zargham)