HuffPo picks up on the part of the hearing that should be getting attention.
Moreover, in a sworn affidavit filed January 5, Burris swore that, before he was asked by Blagojevich staff if he was interested in the position, “there was not any contact between myself or any of my representatives with Governor Blagojevich or any of his representatives regarding my appointment to the United States Senate.”
During Thursday’s hearing, Burris insisted that the conversation with Monk was innocent, saying that he merely wanted to let the governor’s people know that he was interested in the post and believed he was qualified for it.
“He said, ‘I think you are too,'” Burris said of his conversation, emphasizing that he did not talk to Monk or anyone else on the governor’s staff after Blagojevich’s arrest.
Nevertheless, the revelation casts something of a shadow over the behind-the-scenes process by which Burris obtained Blagojevich’s favor. Burris claimed that he was not aware of a quid pro quo to get the Senate appointment. He added that he wouldn’t have accepted the post if it had been offered in such a matter. But his conversation with Monk puts him in direct contact with one of the key players in Blagojevich’s scheme.