CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama's choice as White House chief of staff, talked with Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's administration about who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate and cited a list of people who would be acceptable, sources said.
The information uncovered by the Chicago Tribune does not suggest that Emanuel tried to cut a deal involving Obama's Senate seat, which he resigned last month. But it does help fill gaps surrounding a question that Obama has not answered: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about the Democratic governor's choice for the Senate seat?
Blagojevich and John Harris, the governor's former chief of staff, face federal charges in an alleged shakedown involving the vacant seat, which Illinois law grants the governor sole authority to fill. Harris resigned Friday, but Blagojevich has defied calls from Obama and others for him to do the same.
The Illinois attorney general petitioned the state Supreme Court on Friday to remove Blagojevich, saying he could not conduct state business.
On Thursday, Obama said he had never spoken to Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy and was "confident that no representatives" of his had engaged in any deal-making over it with the governor or his team. Obama also pledged that in the "next few days" he would explain what contacts his staff may have had with the governor's office about the seat.
Emanuel, an Illinois congressman who has long been close to both Blagojevich and Obama, has refused to answer questions about any involvement he may have had with the Blagojevich camp over the Senate pick. A spokeswoman for Emanuel also declined to comment Friday.
One source confirmed that communications between Emanuel and the Blagojevich administration had been captured on court-approved wiretaps.
Another source said that contact between the Obama camp and the governor's administration regarding the Senate seat had begun Nov. 1 -- the Saturday before the election -- when Emanuel called Harris' cellphone. The conversation took place around the time that news reports had surfaced about Emanuel possibly becoming chief of staff if Obama won the White House.
Emanuel delivered a list of candidates who would be "acceptable" to Obama, the source said. On the list were Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett, Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, the source said. All are Democrats.
