Obama says he knew nothing of governor’s alleged corruption. Illinois governor is out on bond after an arrest on corruption charges. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was released on $4,500 bail after appearing in court Tuesday afternoon on federal corruption charges. Blagojevich is accused of attempting to sell the Illinois Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. His arrests were the result of what the governor said in wiretaps from phones at his home and campaign headquarters, investigators said. FBI officials say they were shocked and disgusted by what they heard Blagojevich say on the wiretaps, particularly considering that the governor knew he had been under investigation for hiring irregularities over the past three years. “It’s a bleeping valuable thing,” Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney in Illinois, said Blagojevich said on the wiretap. “You just don’t give it up for nothing.” In a 76-page affidavit, federal officials said the governor had been “working furiously” to get as much money as he could before the holidays for Obama’s old Senate seat. The governor is charged with conspiracy to commit mail, wire fraud and solicitation of bribery, authorities said.  He was also expecting a key federal appointment or other plum Capitol Hill job in the pay-to-play scheme. “This is a sad day for government,” Fitzgerald said at a news conference on Tuesday to announce the governor’s arrest. “Gov. Blagojevich has taken us to a new low. This conduct would make [Abraham] Lincoln roll over in his grave.” Lincoln was a congressman from Illinois before becoming president. Fitzgerald said that the governor had expressed displeasure with the Obama camp for refusing to play the game, and that there was no evidence of Obama or his associates talking with the governor about the Senate seat. “I had no contact with the governor or his office… . So I had no idea what was happening,” Obama said on Tuesday. The president-elect called it a “sad day for the state of Illinois.” Released on bond, Blagojevich is still the Illinois governor and, as such, can still appoint Obama’s replacement. Democrats fear that if that happens, Obama’s successor could be tainted by the scandal and are threatening not to seat the replacement if Blagojevich does make a pick.

Two Black Lawmakers considered for Obama’s seat? Now that Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been elected, all eyes are now turning to the governors of Illinois and Delaware who have the task of appointing someone to fill vacant Senate seats. Read more at Pamela on Politics.