Rendell: Obama Team Fumbled Blago Response

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) suggested that President-elect Obama’s transition team should have responded more forcefully to the Senate seat scandal in Illinois.

Rendell noted that Obama and his team are protected from allegations of wrongdoing because Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) cursed him out. But Rendell added that they should have done more to keep the story from lasting a few days.

“If you read that transcript, the Obama team and, of course, the president-elect is protected because Blagojevich curses out Obama,” Rendell said on MSNBC Friday.

He then suggested that Obama’s should have been more transparent about any contact it had with Blagojevich, who was arrested on charges that he tried to sell Obama’s old Senate seat.

“It’s easy,” Rendell said. “Just say, hey, folks, here it is. Of course, we had contact. We talked about this. But they’ve made the mistake of making it into a four-, five-, six-day story.”

Rendell also said that it’s likely Obama’s chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), has had contact with the Blagojevich. Rendell said that he talks to his senators five or six times each month.

“We have to. It’s inherent in the job,” Rendell said. “Did Rahm Emanuel, who took Rob Blagojevich’s seat in Congress have contact with Rod Blagojevich? Of course, he did.

“They may have thought he was the craziest SOB in the world, but you still have to have contact with him.”

Emanuel has not answered questions over whether he was the unnamed Washington adviser in the criminal complaint who spoke with Blagojevich about the open Senate seat.