Hilarious

From MSNBC:

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich embarked on "political corruption crime spree" and tried to benefit from his ability to appoint President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate, federal officials said Tuesday.

At a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called it a sad day for the citizens of Illinois and alleged that the governor tried to "auction off" the Senate seat "to the highest bidder".

He said the alleged behavior "would make (Abe) Lincoln roll over in his grave." ***

Obama appears to be in the clear on this, at least for now. Prosecutor Fitzgerald said this in his statement:

In a conversation with Harris on November 11, the charges state, Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them."

By the way, it's fun to see Patrick Fitzgerald back in action on another high-profile case. He summed up Blagojevich's position this way: "He wasn't against a corrupt deal, he was against being stiffed in a corrupt deal."