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| Blagojevich vows to fight charges | Blagojevich vows to fight charges |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Scandal-hit Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has told reporters he is innocent of any crime and will not be resigning his position. | Scandal-hit Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has told reporters he is innocent of any crime and will not be resigning his position. |
| Mr Blagojevich was arrested last week and charged with attempting to "sell" Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. | Mr Blagojevich was arrested last week and charged with attempting to "sell" Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. |
| As governor of Illinois, Mr Blagojevich has sole responsibility for picking Mr Obama's successor in the Senate. | As governor of Illinois, Mr Blagojevich has sole responsibility for picking Mr Obama's successor in the Senate. |
| Mr Blagojevich, who had not previously spoken in public about the charges against him, vowed to clear his name. | Mr Blagojevich, who had not previously spoken in public about the charges against him, vowed to clear his name. |
| "I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," he told reporters. | "I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," he told reporters. |
| "I intend to stay on the job - I will fight, I will fight, I will fight." | "I intend to stay on the job - I will fight, I will fight, I will fight." |
| 'Pay to play' schemes | |
| In a brief statement, he said he would fight the "false accusations" made by what he termed a "political lynch mob". CHARGES AGAINST BLAGOJEVICH Federal agents say Mr Blagojevich Tried to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actionsTried to use state funds for the private purpose of inducing the Tribune Company to fire Chicago Tribune editorial board members critical of himTried to obtain personal financial benefits for himself in return for his appointment of a US senator Profile: Rod Blagojevich | |
| Mr Blagojevich was charged last week with a number of offences including soliciting a bribe. | |
| The charges relate to a variety of corruption schemes in which the governor was allegedly involved, including so-called "pay to play" deals - the doling out of jobs, contracts and appointments in return for campaign contributions. | |
| On the day of his arrest, investigators released transcripts of conversations between Mr Blagojevich and others intercepted by court-authorised wiretaps. | |
| In the conversations, the Democratic governor allegedly discussed offering Mr Obama's Senate seat in return for a well-paid position at a non-profit organisation or a group affiliated with trades unions, according to the affidavit. |