“Tom it’s Barack, I want to talk to you with regard to the Senate seat…”

Balanoff version:

“Tom, I want to talk to you with regard to the Senate seat,” Obama told him.

Balanoff said Obama said he had two criteria: someone who was good for the citizens of Illinois and could be elected in 2010.

Obama said he wasn’t publicly coming out in support of anyone but he believed Valerie Jarrett would fit the bill.

“I would much prefer she (remain in the White House) but she does want to be Senator and she does meet those two criteria,” Balanoff said Obama told him. “I said: ‘thank you, I’m going to reach out to Gov. Blagojevich.”

From “Tom Balanoff: Obama called me the night before the November Presidential election about Jarrett appointment”, Blagojevich Trial, June 29, 2010.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/blago/2010/06/tom_balanoff_obama_called_day.html

Obama version:

“The President-Elect had no contact or communication with Governor Blagojevich or members of his staff about the Senate seat. In various conversations with transition staff and others, the President-Elect expressed his preference that Valerie Jarrett work with him in the White House. He also stated that he would neither stand in her way if she wanted to pursue the Senate seat nor actively seek to have her or any other particular candidate appointed to the vacancy.

After Ms. Jarrett decided on November 9, 2008 to withdraw her name from consideration as a possible replacement for him in the Senate and to accept the White House job, the President-Elect discussed other qualified candidates with David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel. Those candidates included Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Jesse Jackson, Jr., Dan Hynes and Tammy Duckworth. The President-Elect understood that Rahm Emanuel would relay these names to the Governor’s office as additions to the pool of qualified candidates who might already be under consideration. Mr. Emanuel subsequently confirmed to the President that he had in fact relayed these names. At no time in the discussion of the Senate seat or of possible replacements did the President-Elect hear of a suggestion that the Governor expected a personal benefit in return for making this appointment to the Senate.”

From “Transition Staff Contacts with the Governor’s Office”, Greg Craig,  December 23, 2008.

http://change.gov/page/-/hem5zet3nalm2/2008%2012%2023%20PTT%20Contacts%20Memo.pdf

“No mention of the conversation with Balanoff, even though Obama allegedly knew full well that Balanoff was just a messenger for Blagojevich’s staff. Balanoff actually is mentioned elsewhere in the Craig report, in the section on Valerie Jarrett’s contacts with Team Blago — but there’s no reference to any conversation with Obama there either.”

Union official: Obama used me as a middleman to talk to Blagojevich about the Senate seat

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/29/union-official-obama-used-me-as-a-middleman-to-talk-to-blagojevich-about-the-senate-seat/