Sen. Burris tries damage control

by Rick Pearson and Janet Hook

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris tried Sunday to quell new questions about his controversial appointment, insisting he shouldn't be blamed for only recently detailing his conversations about the job with five close associates of disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The Chicago Democrat said he didn't provide a full explanation because nobody pressed the point during his sworn testimony last month to House lawmakers who impeached Blagojevich. He accused Republicans of playing politics by calling for an investigation into whether he committed perjury and even asking for his resignation.

But Burris' evolving explanation of what happened took another twist when he said federal investigators want to talk about his appointment to the Senate seat that Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell.

"What I understand is some of the agents have reached out to my lawyers," Burris said, adding "they want to meet with me."

Burris attorney Timothy Wright acknowledged Burris may be on a covert recording in the Blagojevich investigation but declined to explain the senator's comment about meeting with federal agents, saying "the FBI has not come to us and they're not asking us for anything."

Burris, a former attorney general, alternately looked nervous and feisty at a hastily arranged news conference in Chicago just a day before he was to embark on a statewide listening tour to meet the constituents he has represented for about a month. At times, Burris and his lawyer gave contradictory answers or no answers when pressed on whether he told the whole truth about his role.

Blagojevich's defiant selection of Burris, three weeks after the then-governor's arrest on federal corruption charges, set off a national political furor. Senate Democrats at first balked at seating Burris, but the veteran African-American politician portrayed himself as worthy successor to Obama with few if any connections to the scandal-plagued governor.

Yet Burris has been forced to gradually--and sometimes grudgingly--acknowledge deeper connections to Blagojevich and a growing list of contacts with former aides, lobbyists and campaign supporters for Blagojevich. On Sunday Burris argued that he was always forthright about his contacts, while seeking to brush aside the fact that the details spilled out over the course of weeks--with the most complete accounting coming weeks after he was sworn into the Senate.

"At no time did I ever make any inconsistent statement," Burris said. "As I have said previously in my testimony before the Illinois House impeachment committee, as I stated in my voluntary affidavit to the head of the same committee, and as I said to you again now--Yes, I had contact with representatives and friends of the former governor about the Senate seat--none of it inappropriate."

Saying reporters had twisted the facts to make a story, Burris added "God knows we shouldn't even be here." But he may yet have to persuade fellow Democrats that he was forthright.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and his top deputy, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, had made Burris' full and complete testimony at the impeachment hearing one of the conditions for swearing him in as a federal lawmaker.

On Sunday Burris said he talked with Durbin and Reid "and they understand what's going on."

But spokesmen for the top Senate leaders said they hadn't yet seen Burris' new affidavit and were withholding judgment.

"Clearly it would have been better if Sen. Burris had provided this information when he first testified," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid. "Sen. Reid is reviewing the affidavit and will await any action by Illinois legislative leaders after they review the matter."

Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker said the affidavit did not arrive before Durbin left on an official trip to Europe.

"Sen. Durbin has not seen any of the material," Shoemaker said. "If someone suggests he has prejudged this matter, they are wrong."

Burris' first description of his contacts with Blagojevich came in a sworn affidavit to the impeachment panel on Jan. 5 in which he attested that other than speaking to one of Blagojevich's lawyers on Dec. 26 about his interest in the Senate seat, "there was not any contact between myself or any of my representatives with Gov. Blagojevich or any of his representatives regarding my appointment to the United States Senate."

Three days later, Burris appeared before the impeachment panel to give sworn testimony.

He was asked specifically about any contact he had with insiders that included Robert Blagojevich, the former governor's brother, as well as chief of staff John Harris and former aides John Wyma, Lon Monk and Doug Scofield. Burris testified only about a discussion he had with Monk dating back to July.

In the recently filed affidavit, however, Burris acknowledged that he spoke with the others, including three times with Blagojevich's brother who was soliciting fundraising help, as well as Ed Smith, a Downstate labor ally of the former governor. Burris said he rejected Rob Blagojevich's request to help the former governor's fundraising.

The new affidavit prompted calls by Illinois House Republicans, including Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), to convene the Democratic-led House impeachment panel and ask it to refer Burris' affidavits and testimony to the Sangamon County state's attorney, Republican John Schmidt, for investigation over possible perjury. Durkin was the lead Republican on the House panel and questioned Burris about his contacts.

According to transcripts of the hearing, Durkin asked Burris if he discussed the Senate vacancy with "any members of the governor's staff or anyone closely related to the governor, including with family members or any lobbyists connected with [Blagojevich]" and then named Harris, Blagojevich, Scofield, Monk and Wyma as well as deputy governor Bob Greenlee.

After conferring with his attorney, Burris responded, "I talked to some friends about my desire to be appointed, yes."

On Sunday, Burris maintained his "yes" answer applied to every name Durkin asked about except Greenlee.

"There's a 'yes' answer in that it means I talked to all of those individuals," he said.

Asked why he went on to answer a follow up question by Durkin that only detailed contacting Monk, the senator blamed his Republican questioner who "took us off in a different direction" that didn't allow him to give a complete answer. "Why didn't he come back to those [others] if he was interested in them?" Burris said of Durkin.

After Burris' news conference, Durkin said it was "pretty clear what I was asking" at the hearing. "There's nothing from what I heard in the press conference that changes my mind" in seeking a perjury investigation, he said.

Burris' attorney said the senator decided to file a new affidavit after reading a copy of the transcript of his testimony at the hearing "to make sure there was nothing left out."

Burris said on Sunday that the initial affidavit was in response to the panel's interest in how he obtained the appointment and that the most recently filed affidavit "dealt with contacts I had about the Senate seat. Look at the difference."

Illinois Republican House members weren't the only ones voicing concern.

Rep. Susanna Mendoza (D-Chicago), an alternate member of the impeachment panel, said she did not believe Burris had been "forthright and honest" in his answers to the committee in light of his newly filed affidavit and said she would support an investigation of the new senator.

"They can try to worm their way out of this as lawyers, but to the regular people this is the equivalent of lying," Mendoza said.