‘A Senate Seat on Ebay’

About 6 a.m. today, a ringing telephone woke Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. It was a top agent the Federal Bureau of Investigation, telling the governor that he was being arrested.

Follow your favorite NEWSWEEK columnists

Customize the Newsweek homepage to feature the latest word from your favorite columnists.

"Is this a joke?" asked Blagojevich.

Unfortunately for the governor, it was serious business—a case that could send Blagojevich to prison on corruption charges. It has also thrown into disarray the selection of a replacement for the U.S. Senate seat for Illinois being vacated by President-Elect Obama, a spot that is to be filled by the governor.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald Tuesday accused Gov. Blagojevich, a Democrat, of trying to sell the open Senate seat for financial favors, such as a high-paying job for himself at a non-profit group or a labor union, and perhaps a corporate board seat for his wife, Patti Blagojevich. The prosecutor characterized Blagojevich's conduct as corruption so brazen it was "disgusting" and "as low as you could go." The complaint charges Blagojevich, as well as his chief of staff, John Harris, with federal mail and wire fraud charges. Blagojevich was released on his own recognizance this afternoon after appearing before U.S. Magistrate Nan Nolan in Chicago. The governor offered no comments today, but his office issued a general statement saying the arrest would have "no impact" on the people of Illinois, and that all business would continue.

The immediate political fallout was unclear. In most places, the indictment of a sitting governor would spell disaster for the party in power in the state capitol. But Democrats here in Illinois seem surprisingly calm. The Republicans already have a governor of their own behind bars—Blagojevich's predecessor, George Ryan—and had trouble even fielding a candidate against Barack Obama on his way to the U.S. Senate. Obama's election as president puts the state GOP into further eclipse. The short-term beneficiary stands to be Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, but he's not seen as likely to cut much of a figure on the national stage.

The 76-page federal complaint, which gathered evidence from phone wiretaps at Blagojevich's home and office, claims that the governor boasted of his power to choose a senator as a "golden" opportunity and that he was "not going to give it away for nothing."