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Affidavit says Burris had limited conversations with Blagojevich before being appointed

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 12:51 PM CST

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — In a formal affidavit, Roland Burris says he had only one limited conversation with Governor Rod Blagojevich before accepting his appointment as a U.S. senator.

Burris submitted the affidavit to the Illinois House committee considering impeachment of the governor. He's supposed to testify before the committee on Thursday.

Burris says he was approached by a Blagojevich attorney about taking the Senate post on Friday, December 26. Two days later, he accepted the appointment in a phone call with the governor.

The 71-year-old Democrat says the two didn't discuss anything beyond whether Burris would take the job and how it would be announced.

That statement appears to rule out any discussion of a deal or of what Burris would do as a senator.