Blagojevich to pick Senate replacement

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Defying U.S. Senate leaders and his own state's lawmakers, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was expected Tuesday to appoint a Senate replacement for President-elect Barack Obama despite federal charges that he tried to auction off the seat to the highest bidder.

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones said Blagojevich has chosen former state Attorney General Roland Burris for the job. Jones, a Chicago Democrat, said Burris told him of the governor's decision in a telephone call Tuesday morning.

Blagojevich scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference, but his aides would not comment on the topic.

The Democratic governor can announce Burris as his pick, but it may be an empty gesture. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who must certify the appointment, said Tuesday he will not do so. And in a statement issued Tuesday, Senate Democrats reiterated that they wouldn't accept anyone appointed by Blagojevich, who was arrested Dec. 9 on federal corruption charges.

"It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic Senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety," the senators said.

Some involved in preparing the statement were wary of being seen as denying a black man a seat in a chamber where there are no blacks, which is why the statement includes a section explicitly saying that the governor's expected appointment reflected poorly on Blagojevich, not Burris.

"We say this without prejudice toward roland Burris' ability, and we respect his years of public service," the leaders wrote in the statement. "But this is not about M. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat."

One of the accusations brought against Blagojevich is that he schemed to benefit from his power to name Obama's replacement in the Senate. Federal prosecutors said they recorded conversations in which Blagojevich discussed appointing someone Obama favored in exchange for a position in the new president's Cabinet or naming someone favored by a union if he got a high-level union job.

Blagojevich has faced a flood of calls for his resignation, and the Illinois House has begun impeachment proceedings. He maintains his innocence, and has vowed to stay in office.

His own lawyer said recently that there would be no point in Blagojevich naming someone to the Senate because leaders there would reject his appointment.

White, who handles the state's paperwork, said he would not formally certify any appointment made by Blagojevich "because of the current cloud of controversy surround the governor."

It's not clear whether White's administrative hurdle would be enough to prevent a Blagojevich appointment from taking effect.

Burris, 71, was the first black politician elected to major statewide office in Illinois and has connections across the state. He's a native of Centralia in southern Illinois who graduated from Southern Illinois University before earning his law degree from Howard University.

Burris served as Illinois' comptroller from 1979 to 1991 and as the state's attorney general from 1991 to 1995. He also served as vice-chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1985 to 1989.

More recently, however, Burris has had a string of political disappointments.

He lost campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1994, 1998 and 2002 - the last time losing to Blagojevich. In 1995, he was badly beaten when challenging Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in the primary.

Before taking public office, Burris worked in banking and served as national executive director and chief operating officer for Operation PUSH, the Chicago-based civil rights organization.

He failed in his first brush with politics - a 1968 run for the Illinois House. But five years later, his political service got him appointed as an aide to Gov. Dan Walker.

Burris has been a consistent donor to Blagojevich, giving thousands of dollars to his campaign in recent years. Burris donated $1,000 to the Friends of Blagojevich fund in 2005, $1,500 in 2007 and, $1,000 in June 2008, according to Illinois campaign finance data.

On a national level, Burris has given to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as several members of the Illinois congressional delegation, including Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Associated Press writers Anne Flaherty, Laurie Kellman and Matt Apuzzo contributed to this report from Washington.