PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama has promised to release details of all contacts between his staff and the office of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested this week on charges related to an attempt to sell Mr Obama's former senate seat to the highest bidder.
Mr Obama told a press conference in Chicago yesterday that he was "appalled and disappointed" by the governor's alleged activities and repeated that he had no personal involvement in discussions over the future of the senate seat.
"I have never spoken to the governor on this subject. I'm confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat," Mr Obama said.
"I've asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor's office about this vacancy so that we can share them with you over the next few days."
Mr Obama said it was clear that the public trust had been violated and that Mr Blagojevich should resign immediately. The governor, who returned to work the day after his arrest, has given no indication that he is willing to step down.
Illinois legislators will meet early next week to consider impeachment proceedings against the governor and the state's attorney general, Lisa Madigan, said this week she was looking at the possibility of having Mr Blagojevich declared unfit to govern.
The governor and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested on Tuesday after FBI wiretaps on his home and office recorded conversations during which the two men discussed with others what financial or other benefits Mr Blagojevich could gain from his power to appoint Mr Obama's successor.
Mr Obama said it was clear from the recorded conversations that the governor regarded the president-elect's team as unsympathetic to his efforts, noting that Mr Blagojevich described Mr Obama as a "motherf . . . er" for being unlikely to help him.
"As is reflected in the US attorney's report, we were not, I think, perceived by the governor's office as amenable to any deal-making," Mr Obama said. "I won't quote back some of the things that were said about me. This is a family programme, I know."
Some Democrats and Republicans have called for a special election to fill Mr Obama's senate seat but the president-elect declined to specify how the appointment should be made. "This Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade," he said.
"Any vacancy will be filled in an appropriate way, so that whoever is sent to Washington is going to be fighting for the people of Illinois. I hope and expect that the leaders of the legislature will take these steps to ensure that this is so."
Mr Obama yesterday named former senate majority leader Tom Daschle as health and human services secretary and head of a new White House Office of Health Reform.
"As such he will be responsible not just for implementing our healthcare plan. He will also be the lead architect of that plan," Mr Obama said. "If we want to overcome our economic challenges, we must also finally address our healthcare challenge," he added.
