Illinois scandal an early test for Obama team

By Peter Baker and Jeff Zeleny

updated 6:46 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2008

WASHINGTON - When Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, began exploring whether she might fill Barack Obama’s seat in the United States Senate, she called Rahm Emanuel. They served in the House together and, more important, he had just become chief of staff to the newly elected president.

But Mr. Emanuel was uncharacteristically circumspect. If Mr. Obama had a favorite, Mr. Emanuel was not saying. And to Ms. Schakowsky, he seemed wary about Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, who would be making the appointment. “Rahm always has good intelligence,” she recalled. “In this case, he really didn’t. It was not clear to him what the governor was going to do, or at least he didn’t share it with me.”

For the Obama team in the days after his election to the presidency, the question of who would succeed him in the Senate was a sensitive one. With a new administration to build and a financial crisis worsening by the day, Mr. Obama and his advisers had bigger issues on their plate. Moreover, they wanted to keep their distance from Mr. Blagojevich, who was already known to be under federal investigation into possible corruption. But many still assumed that Mr. Obama’s voice would be critical if he chose to weigh in.

Exactly what role he or his team played will be a focus of intense scrutiny in the weeks to come after the arrest of Mr. Blagojevich on accusations that he was plotting to trade or sell the Senate appointment. In that sense, the furor could be the first test of the Obama team’s ability to manage a growing scandal in an era when intense media scrutiny and partisan attack machinery can escalate any flap into a serious political problem.

Mr. Obama said Tuesday that he had never spoken with the governor about the seat, and prosecutors have not implicated Mr. Obama or his advisers. At the same time, Mr. Obama’s team has declined for two days to answer questions about what discussions they had about the seat and whether intermediaries had any contacts with Mr. Blagojevich’s advisers.

Republicans have raised questions about Mr. Obama’s refusal to say more and about his past ties with the main characters. Even if Mr. Obama remains untouched by the investigation, it shines a light on the corrupt politics of the state he emerged from and takes attention away from the agenda of change he would rather emphasize.

“This is a huge distraction at the worst possible moment,” said Lanny J. Davis, a former White House special counsel who did damage control for President Bill Clinton.

And it can grow if not handled properly. “It’s like the whirlwind,” said Chris Lehane, another veteran of the Clinton teams. “You get pulled into the vortex more and more.”

Mr. Obama stayed out of sight on Wednesday, calling for Mr. Blagojevich’s resignation through an aide and only after other Democrats had done so. Aides were told by transition lawyers not to comment. But Mr. Obama plans to hold a news conference on Thursday on health care during which he presumably will be asked about the inquiry.

By the account of several Democrats close to him, Mr. Obama did not try to insert himself into the selection of his successor, at least partly because of his own strained relationship with Mr. Blagojevich and partly because he had long since grown restless with the Senate. He discussed it with allies, like fellow Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, but not with some others involved.

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Ms. Schakowsky, one of many interested in the Senate seat and probably not a front-runner, said she had never talked with Mr. Obama about the seat. Likewise, the president-elect never brought it up with another potential candidate, Tammy Duckworth, the director of veterans’ affairs in Illinois, when the two participated in a Veterans Day ceremony, an aide to Ms. Duckworth said.

Neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. Durbin was invited by Mr. Blagojevich to offer advice, the Democrats said. “We all have varying levels of cooperation with the governor. Mine was extremely limited,” Mr. Durbin said in an interview. “I believe President-elect Obama could say the same.” He added, “I knew there was a process in place in the governor’s office, but I had no idea what it involved.”

Mr. Emanuel was among the few people in Mr. Obama’s circle who occasionally spoke to Mr. Blagojevich. He declined to answer questions on Wednesday, waving off a reporter who approached him as he walked across Capitol Hill.

Full coverage: Blagojevich charges Illinois senate ousts Blagojevich Blagojevich reportedly wants to speak at trial Will Blagojevich try last-minute mischief? Blagojevich accused of breaking state laws Ill. governor goes on defensive as trial starts Blagojevich: 'Struggle ... against the system' Homeless agency fires Illinois first lady Illinois House impeaches Gov. Rod Blagojevich Judge gives Blagojevich indictment more time Blagojevich investigators met with Obama Senate seat only part of case vs. Blagojevich Ill. impeachment panel waiting on prosecutor Newsweek: 'A Senate seat on Ebay'

A Democrat familiar with Illinois politics and the Obama transition, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there probably were calls between the Blagojevich and Obama camps about the Senate seat. It was not clear if any calls were recorded by federal agents, who had tapped the governor’s phones.

Mr. Blagojevich was largely keeping his own counsel on the selection process, several Democrats said. One aide close to Mr. Obama and Mr. Durbin said it seemed Mr. Blagojevich was “on an iceberg,” far removed from most party leaders. The governor did not return telephone calls from Mr. Durbin for nearly two weeks, Democrats said. Ms. Schakowsky said he took days to answer her messages, too. When he did call back, he spoke with her for less than 10 minutes as she made her case for the seat.

“I see in retrospect,” Ms. Schakowsky said, “I probably wasn’t in contention — he didn’t ask me for anything.”

This article, "Illinois Scandal an early Test for Obama Team," first appeared in The New York Times.

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