WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, contends the call he took from then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't just about a plan to appoint Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to fill President Barack Obama's senate seat.

A spokesperson for Durbin, majority whip in the Senate, refuted suggestions made in an Associated Press story Monday regarding the nature of the conversation between Blagojevich and Durbin on Nov. 24, just weeks before the governor was arrested by federal agents on corruption charges. The call was recorded by the FBI as part of the investigation into Blagojevich.

Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker said the two discussed about 20 possible appointments for the senate seat, of which Madigan was one, and Blagojevich had asked the senator's opinion about the decision.

"Sen Durbin tried to get across two messages. Pick someone who can hit the ground running as a senator, and number two, find someone who can be appointed quickly," Shoemaker told The Roll Call, a newspaper covering Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Blagojevich ultimately chose a former Illinois attorney general, Roland Burris, to fill the senate seat. Durbin panned the appointment since it was made after Blagojevich had been criminally charged with attempting to sell Obama's former senate seat. Durbin had asked Burris to step down, and now has criticized him for not disclosing all the facts related to conversations he had with Blagojevich fundraisers prior to his appointment.