Obama Investigation: Answers Questions about Illinois Governor

Rahm Emanuel, the man President-elect Barack Obama chose for his White House Chief of Staff, had two conversations with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and
an additional four discussions with the governor’s chief of staff, according to a report released today by the Obama’s transition team. But the report
claimed Emanuel’s discussions with the governor’s office, regarding Obama’s vacant Senate seat, were proper.

“Mr. Emanuel and the Governor did not discuss a cabinet position, 501c(4), a private sector position for the Governor or any other personal benefit for
the Governor,” according to the report.

The five-page report also revealed that Obama, Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s close friend and senior adviser, were all interviewed by the
Attorney’s office. Authorities have claimed that the governor was planning to sell Obama’s vacant seat to the highest bidder.

The report centered around whether members of Obama’s close circle had any contact with embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his office.
According to the report, the investigation also looked into whether or not there were any correspondences with the Governor’s office and Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. According to the report, Jarrett had no contact with Blagojevich or anyone in his office. Her only contact with him was in passing at the Governor’s Conference in Philadelphia on December 2, over three weeks after she had decided not to pursue the Senate seat herself and had accepted the President-elect’s offer to work in the White House.According to the report, she did have a conversation with a union official who talked about Blagojevich’s interest in her taking the cabinet position.

Other people mentioned in the report were Obama’s top adviser David Axelrod and Dr. Eric Whitaker, a close friend to the president-elect. Neither was
found to have any correspondence with Blagojevich.