Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff gave Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois Governor, who is accused of trying to sell the President-elect’s vacant Senate seat, a list of names preferred by Mr Obama to fill it, according to an internal review released last night.

The report emphasised that neither Rahm Emanuel nor anybody in Mr Obama’s White House transition team had any improper contact with Mr Blagojevich or his staff.

The report found that Mr Emanuel held conversations with Mr Blagojevich and his staff about the Senate seat but at no time suspected that the governor was looking for something in return. An official with Mr Obama’s team said that Mr Emanuel had been captured talking on wiretaps taken as part of the investigation into Mr Blagojevich. The governor was charged on December 9 with plotting to use his authority to appoint Mr Obama’s Senate replacement in exchange for cash and other political favours.

Greg Craig, the incoming White House attorney, who conducted the review at Mr Obama’s request, found that the President-elect had no contact with Mr Blagojevich or any of his staff about the Senate seat he vacated.

Mr Emanuel, a veteran of Chicago politics, had one or two conversations about the seat with Mr Blagojevich and four with the governor’s former chief of staff, John Harris, who has also been charged, according to the review. It said that Mr Obama authorised Mr Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered qualified to take over his seat: the Illinois comptroller, Dan Hynes; the Illinois Veterans Affairs director, Tammy Duckworth; Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois congresswoman; and Jesse Jackson Jr.

Mr Emanuel, the Obama official said, was interviewed by federal investigators who played him a wiretapped conversation. He then gave Mr Craig more details that were included in the review, the official said.The report will not put the matter to rest as it included none of the wiretapped conversations.

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