Burris tried to raise funds for Blagojevich

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris walks past reporters on Tuesday after a tour of the Emergency Response Center at the headquarters of State Farm in Bloomington, Ill. Carlos T. Miranda, The Associated Press

AP

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris walks past reporters on Tuesday after a tour of the Emergency Response Center at the headquarters of State Farm in Bloomington, Ill. Carlos T. Miranda, The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now acknowledges attempting to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich – an explosive twist in his ever-changing story on how he landed a Senate appointment from the man accused of trying to sell the seat.

Burris made the admission to reporters on Monday, after releasing an affidavit over the weekend saying he had more contact with Blagojevich aides about the Senate seat than he had described under oath to the state House panel that recommended Blagojevich’s impeachment.

Though Burris insists he never raised money for Blagojevich while the governor was considering whom to appoint to the seat, the revelation that he had attempted to do so is likely to increase calls for Burris’ resignation and an investigation into whether he committed perjury before the panel.

Burris would not answer questions Tuesday about his attempts to raise funds for Blagojevich but said he didn’t do anything wrong.

“I welcome the opportunity to go before any and all investigative bodies, including those referred by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Senate ethics committee to answer any questions they have,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Thank you for subscribing!

Associated Press reporter David Mercer contributed to this report from Peoria