President-elect Obama has called on his home-state governor to resign after being arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to sell Obama’s former Senate seat.
{mosads}”The President-elect agrees with Lt. Governor Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the Governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois,” said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement. “The President-elect believes that the general assembly should consider the issue and put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the the people of Illinois.”
Obama is a former supporter of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) but is putting distance between himself and Blagojevich in light of numerous allegations of corruption in a federal document released Tuesday.
Nowhere in the document is Obama implicated in any wrongdoing.
Blagojevich still has the power to replace Obama via appointment, but local leaders are trying to strip him of that right by setting up a special election and might remove him from office.
Blagojevich’s attorney has said the governor has no plans to resign. Blagojevich was released from federal custody Tuesday on a $4,500 bond.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday also called on Blagojevich to resign. In a letter to Blagojevich, Durbin asked the governor to not appoint a successor to Obama’s seat.