Barack Obama's Transition Team on Staff Contacts with Illinois Governor: 'Trust Us'

President-elect Obama's transition team announced today that an internal review of communications between transition staff members and the office of disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich revealed that there had been "no inappropriate contacts" between members of the transition staff and the governor regarding Obama's vacant Senate seat. The statement went on to say that the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago had been informed of the results of the review and requested that details be held until the week of December 22nd, "in order not to impede [the] investigation of the governor."

The transition refused to release any details of the review, however minor, essentially asking the public to trust in the completeness of its investigation. This is a problem, however, since the transition has already been demonstrated to be less than forthcoming with information about the role of staff members, and the president-elect himself, in the scandal.

On the day the scandal broke last week, President-elect Obama gave a brief statement in which he asserted that he had not met or spoken with Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. But the statement contradicted his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, who had said that Obama and Blagojevich did meet. That contradiction has yet to be resolved, as none but the most ardent Obama supporter believes Axelrod's explanation that he was "mistaken" about whether or not the governor and the president-elect had met. Obama's next statement was no less inaccurate as he said that he "knew" that no one on his staff had engaged in any discussions with the governor's office that involved the alleged scheming to sell an appointment to the Senate. That statement became inoperative less than 24 hours later, when it was revealed that Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, had engaged in several conversations with Blagojevich, including passing along a list of acceptable candidates on behalf of the president-elect. Given all the questions that remain about the role of the transition team in the scandal, it would have been prudent for Obama to release some more details about the staff contacts.

Now, however, the release of the transition team review is likely to get scant attention when it is released the week of December 22nd, Christmas week. Most Americans will be busy with holiday plans and will not be following the news very closely. Some may call it cynical to doubt the word of the new president-elect and his staff. But Obama's past inaccuracies on this scandal only fuel the skepticism. The fortuitous timing of releasing the report right before the holiday lull should only serve to increase scrutiny on his handling of this first scandal of his presidency.