Illinois governor tried to sell Senate seat: prosecutors

By Michael Conlon and Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested on Tuesday on "staggering" corruption charges that alleged he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat, President-elect Barack Obama.

The governor also tried to extort the Chicago Tribune, one of the country's leading newspapers, into firing editorial writers who were critical of him, federal prosecutors said.

Obama has long distanced himself from the governor of his home state -- who has been under investigation on other issues for years -- but Blagojevich's arrest was a likely embarrassment to the president-elect. Obama said he was "saddened and sobered" by the news and had not been aware of the alleged efforts to sell the Senate seat he vacated.

The case shined light again on old-style corruption in the grimy caldron of Chicago politics from which Obama emerged.

Obama, who takes office on January 20, resigned from the Senate after winning the November 4 presidential election. The Illinois governor is meant to pick Obama's Senate replacement.

The U.S. Senate's Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, called for the decision on appointing Obama's replacement to be taken out of Blagoveich's hands.

State lawmakers said they would go into session to try to have the law changed so a replacement can be picked by a special election -- meaning that Obama's replacement could be a Republican if the voters so decided.

Caught on tape, Blagojevich used an expletive as he described the Senate seat as something so valuable "you just don't give it away for nothing." He said he might even appoint himself if he could get nothing for it, the criminal complaint against him said.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor, said in a statement detailing the charges.

It was enough to make revered Illinois statesman Abraham Lincoln "roll over in his grave," Fitzgerald later told reporters, adding the arrest of Blagojevich was made in order to stop a "crime spree."

The governor and his chief of staff, John Harris, were taken into custody at their Chicago homes. Blagojevich appeared in court later and was released on his own recognizance, meaning he did not have to post bail.

There were immediate calls from both Republicans and Democrats in Illinois for Blagojevich to resign.

Blagojevich's office issued a statement saying the allegations would not affect the functioning of the state.

Fitzgerald stressed there were no allegations in the criminal complaint about Obama. The president-elect told reporters: "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening."

'FOR SALE' SIGN