US governor arrested trying to sell Obama's seat

The governor of Illinois was arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiring to sell an appointment to president-elect Barack Obama's recently vacated U.S. Senate seat in what prosecutors called "a political corruption crime spree."

Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich was also accused of demanding kickbacks for government contracts, jobs and appointments and trying to get certain editors fired from the Chicago Tribune newspaper because of their critical coverage of his administration.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," said U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

"They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target, and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

"Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low," Fitzgerald said at a press conference, adding that the state's top leader "has been arrested in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree."

Obama said he was not aware of allegations that Blagojevich -- who as governor is charged with appointing a U.S. senator when a seat becomes vacant -- was shopping it around to find the highest bidder.

Fitzgerald emphasized that the criminal complaint made "no allegations" that Obama was aware of or involved in any scheming by the governor and that some of the schemes "did not go very far at all."

Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low

Patrick Fitzgerald, prosecutor

Trading favors

Blagojevich was allegedly taped talking about trading the seat for a cabinet post, ambassadorship, a "cushy" union job or a high-paying spot on a corporate board for his wife.

In another conversation recorded the day after Obama's historic Nov. 4 win, Blagojevich told an unnamed advisor: "I've got this thing and it's (expletive) golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there," the 76-page criminal complaint states.

Blagojevich was released on a $4,500 dollar Tuesday after making a brief appearance before a federal judge in Chicago.

He is reportedly planning to go back to work on Wednesday and has rejected calls to resign or step aside.