According to the Chicago Sun-Times, scandal–plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s spokesman Lucio Guerrero said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called up the governor on December 3, to converse about the Senate seat that President-elect Barack Obama vacated. Reid reportedly is guilty of a conflict of interest, as he did not want Rep. Jesse Jackson, Danny Davis, Emil Jones or Roland Burris in the Senate.

Guerrero said: “I think the governor believes there is a conflict of interest — that Reid showed he has a horse in the race and Roland Burris wasn’t one of them.”

Incidentally, six days after Reid’s call, Blagojevich - who at the time was trying to trade Obama’s seat for money – was arrested on federal corruption charges.

Reid spokesman, Jim Manley, confirmed that the Nevada Democrat made telephoned Blagojevich to discuss the vacancy. Though Reid did not explain his side of the conversation, he accused Blagojevich of misrepresenting the talk, in an attempt to divert attention from his intimidating legal problems.  

Meanwhile, William Walls of the Committee for a Better Chicago called Reid’s opposition to the aforementioned appointments “an act of racism”. Walls told FOXNews.com: “The US Senate is an institution that is primarily white and has been forever and some people are more comfortable with people of their own kind. Harry Reid seems to be one of those people.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, also said that Senator Reid owes to the people of Illinois an explanation for his actions.