But there are other possible explanations. Fitzgerald's hand may have been forced by the Chicago Tribune, which reported Dec. 5 that Blagojevich's phone lines were being tapped. This information signaled everyone -- the governor and anyone talking to the governor or his aides -- that they could become ensnared in a huge criminal investigation leading to indictments.
President-elect Obama has emphatically denied that he ever talked to Blagojevich about his Senate replacement. And certainly Fitzgerald has done everything he can to confirm that Obama is not implicated in any way. But there are a number of unanswered questions about what contact members of the president-elect's team might have had with the governor or his aides, directly or through intermediaries. A number of aides, including the incoming White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel, and former campaign leader David Axelrod, have long-standing ties to Blagojevich. And Axelrod has already had to revise his earlier assertion that Obama had spoken with Blagojevich about candidates to replace him in the Senate.
The president-elect has said "I want to gather all the facts about any staff contact that may have taken place. We'll have those in the next few days and we'll present them."
The president-elect's credibility is on the line. For the good of the country, we must all hope this scandal doesn't infect anyone in the new administration. The best way to ensure that is for the president-elect and his aides to be forthcoming quickly.