May 27, 2009 11:24 am US/Central
On Tape, Burris Mentioned Fund-Raising 10 Times
Also Raised Interest In Senate Appointment Six Times
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Senator Roland Burris (D-IL), with his attorney Timothy Wright III, addresses allegations at a news conference that he lied under oath during the Illinois House impeachment hearings Feb. 15, 2009, in Chicago, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
An analysis of the November 13 FBI wiretap reveals a relentless Roland Burris, someone who candidly offers money while expressing a desire to be appointed by then Governor Rod Blagojevich to Barack Obama's vacant seat in the U-S Senate.
Ten separate times Burris offers to raise cash for Blagojevich. The phone call was made to Burris by Blagojevich's brother Rob who was running the campaign then. Rob indicates he was returning Roland's call and tells him "we're trying to get as much as we can in (Rod's) war chest."
Then the senator begins a litany of offers:
"I've been trying to figure out what the heck… I can do."
"So if I put on a fundraiser now."
"I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this."
"I know I could give him a check."
"My law partner we were gonna try to do something at the law firm. Might be able to do this in the name of Tim Wright."
"Maybe I can join in on one of those (fundraising) events too. What, do you have any going with the people that I know.?"
"God knows number one I wanna help Rod."
"Anything I give would be out of my personal funds."
"I will personally do something, okay."
"It'll be done before the 15th of December."
Alternatively, six separate times Burris pushes hard to receive Blagojevich's appointment to replace Obama in the Senate.
"I'm very much interested in trying to replace Obama, okay."
"For the senate seat. I mean and I'm a high profile person."
"(I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this) and still be in the consideration for the appointment."
"If I do get appointed…"
"You know hope I get a consideration for that appointment."
"Tell Rod to keep me in mind for that seat, would ya?"
Also, Burris makes clear he knows he is engaging in something inappropriate if not illegal. Five times he mentions this.
"It has so many negative connotations that Burris is trying to buy an appointment."
"If I do that, I guarantee you, that, that will get out and people said, oh, Burris is doing a fundraiser and, and then Rod and I both gonna catch hell."
"(If I do get appointed)that means I bought it."
"And if I don't get appointed then my people who I'm trying to raise money from are gonna look at me, yeah, what's that all about Roland. I mean, so, Rob, I'm in a, I'm in a, a dilemma right now…"
"I'm just trying to figure out what the best way to do where it won't create any, any conflict for either one of us."
And then Burris acknowledges just how bad all this might look to the news media and the voters.
"However that goes…it would dictate…you know how the press treats it."
"'Cause man I, I will be, you know we both will be profiled."
"And we don't need that."
CBS 2 political producer Ed Marshall reported this story.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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