Scandal: Burris’ Backtracking

Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) had a controversial induction into the U.S. Senate thanks to his appointment by scandal-plagued former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of conspiring to sell President Obama’s vacant Senate seat for personal benefits. But now Burris has managed to stir up a controversy all his own by giving conflicting accounts about how exactly he ended up with the seat.

At first, in a Jan. 5 affidavit, Burris claimed he’d had no contact (PDF) with Blagojevich or his allies before being offered the seat in late December.

Then on Jan. 8, Burris testified in front of an Illinois House panel. A member of the panel asked Burris whether he had talked to any Blagojevich staffers or anyone closely related to the governor, including family members or lobbyists connected with him. The lawmaker mentioned six Blagojevich insiders specifically by name: Rob Blagojevich (the governor’s brother), Doug Scofield, Bob Greenlee, John Wyma, Lon Monk and John Harris.

After conferring with his attorney off-mic, Burris said, “I talked to some friends about my desire to be appointed, yes.” Burris went on to say that he had expressed interest in the Senate seat to Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, Lon Monk, in July or September. Burris did not mention any conversations with the other five people he had been specifically asked about. (For the full exchange, see here.)

Burris was sworn in as Illinois’ junior senator on Jan. 15. On Feb. 4, he filed another affidavit with the Illinois House panel in which he admitted talking to five of the six people he was asked about before being appointed to the Senate. (He didn’t mention Bob Greenlee.) Asked later why he filed a second affidavit, Burris told reporters that he’d realized his testimony before the House panel was incomplete after reading a transcript of it.

In the Feb. 4 affidavit, Burris claimed he rejected a fundraising request from Rob Blagojevich so as to not give the impression of a quid pro quo. But on Feb. 16, Burris made another disclosure to reporters: While actively seeking appointment to the Senate, Burris attempted, unsuccessfully, to raise campaign funds for Blagojevich.

Burris also said in the Feb. 4 affidavit that he’d only had one conversation with John Harris, but the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Feb. 18 that they’d actually spoken four times.

On Feb. 20, the Chicago Tribune revealed yet another omission in Burris’ story: Burris twice spoke to a top official in Blagojevich’s administration, John Filan, including one time after Blagojevich’s arrest. Burris hadn’t yet disclosed that contact.

Burris is now under investigation by both the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee and a local Illinois prosecutor.

Burris defended himself at the City Club of Chicago on Feb. 18, saying, “I have done nothing wrong, and I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

See our Burris timeline here.