|
RNC: Obama's statement on Blagojevich 'insufficient' |
|
By Sam Youngman
|
|
Posted: 12/09/08 05:03 PM [ET] |
The chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) said Tuesday afternoon that President-elect Obama's comments on the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich do not go far enough addressing the relationship between the two men.
Hours after Blagojevich was arrested by federal authorties for an array of corruption charges, including an effort to see profit in exchange for Obama's recently vacated Senate seat, Obama told reporters that he has had "no contact" with the troubled governor and he was unaware of what was going on.
RNC Chairman Robert "Mike" Duncan said in a statement that Obama's "comments on the matter are insufficient at best."
"Given the president-elect's history of supporting and advising Gov. Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue," Duncan said.
The RNC pointed out shortly after the governor's arrest that Obama has, in the past, had high praise for Blagojevich and advised the governor's first run for office.
Despite Obama's insistence that he has had no contact with Blagojevich about who might fill his open Senate seat, ABC News reported Tuesday that in late November, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said he knew Obama had "talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names, many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them." |
