Report: Emanuel Spoke Directly With Blagojevich About Senate Seat

Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Obama's chief of staff, had direct discussions with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about Obama's vacant Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Sources with knowledge of the conversations told the Sun- Times Emanuel spoke with the governor and pushed for the appointment of Valerie Jarrett in the days after the presidential election and asked that it be done by a certain date.

The sources said Blagojevich told aides about conversations with Emanuel and sometimes gave them directions afterward. Some conversations between Blagojevich and Emanuel were likely caught on tape, the sources said.

An Obama source strongly denied Emanuel spoke with the governor directly about the seat, the Sun-Times reported.

Sources did not indicate that a deal was brokered in the conversations between Emanuel and Blagojevich.

Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges involving an alleged scheme to sell or trade Obama's vacant Senate seat.

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