Obama and Axelrod Can’t Quite Get Their Stories Straight
From http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=6424985&page=1
Obama addressed the scandal over his Senate seat Tuesday afternoon, saying, “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.” But Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod told a Chicago affiliate of Fox News that Obama had in fact spoken to Blagojevich about his empty Senate seat.
“I know he’s 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,” Axelrod said in the Nov. 23 interview.
The controversy continued Tuesday evening, when Axelrod issued a statement retracting his statement. “I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject,” said Axelrod.
“I know he’s 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,” Axelrod said in the Nov. 23 interview.
The controversy continued Tuesday evening, when Axelrod issued a statement retracting his statement. “I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject,” said Axelrod.
The president-elect, who was speaking to reporters following a meeting with Al Gore about green energy and climate change, also said, “Obviously, like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by news that came out of the U.S. Attorney’s office today, but as this is an ongoing investigation into the governor, I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to comment at this time.” The president-elect, who was speaking to reporters following a meeting with Al Gore about green energy and climate change, also said, “Obviously, like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by news that came out of the U.S. Attorney’s office today, but as this is an ongoing investigation into the governor, I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to comment at this time.”