FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat

FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat
Wanted President-Elect to "Put Something Together . . . Something Big"
By BRIAN ROSSDecember 9, 2008
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest.

In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news...
In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news conference following their apperance before the Base Realignment and Closure commission during their hearings at Saint Louis University, St. Louis. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest. (James A. Finley/AP Photo)
"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on November 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit.
Click here to read the full affidavit. The FBI says Blagojevich wanted an appointment to the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a well-paying job or huge campaign contributions as the price for naming Obama's successor.