Unsealed FBI interviews shed light on Obama and Emanuel's 2008 Senate seat discussions
FBI records on Obama's 2008 Senate pick reveal talks on Madigan and Jarrett See what the unsealed interviews add to the Blagojevich-era appointment story
Newly unsealed FBI interview records show how Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel discussed potential candidates for the Illinois Senate seat Obama was leaving in 2008, according to a Fox News report.
The records indicate that Lisa Madigan was viewed as a possible choice, while Valerie Jarrett was also considered before Obama decided she would join his White House team instead. The interviews also say Emanuel later spoke with officials in Rod Blagojevich's administration about Madigan's candidacy.
Blagojevich, who was later convicted in a separate corruption case and served nearly eight years in prison before receiving clemency in 2020 and a pardon in 2025, has long maintained that he did not intend to sell the seat. The newly released documents add more detail to the political talks surrounding the appointment, but they do not show any charge against Obama or Emanuel.