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Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Tuesday he is confident the U.S. Senate will seat his appointment to replace President-elect Barack Obama.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, right, named Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, right, named Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat.
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"This is about Roland Burris, not about the man who appoints him," Blagojevich, a Democrat, said at a news conference after announcing his choice.

Burris, 71, also a Democrat, served Illinois from 1979 to 1992 -- first as state comptroller and later as attorney general. Earlier this month, he said that despite the scandal associated with the seat, he wanted the job.

FBI agents arrested Blagojevich on December 9 after federal prosecutors alleged, among other things, that he had tried to "sell" Obama's former Senate seat. Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing and has ignored calls to resign. Video Watch Blagojevich appoint Burris »

Senate Democratic leaders say they will block the appointment and are urging the governor to step down in the wake of the scandal.

In a statement released Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said it was "truly regrettable that ... Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety."

"We again urge Gov. Blagojevich to not make this appointment. It is unfair to Mr. Burris, it is unfair to the people of Illinois and it will ultimately not stand," Reid said. "The governor must put the interests of the people of Illinois and all Americans first by stepping aside now and letting his successor appoint someone who we will seat."
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Also, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said Tuesday that Burris' appointment will not be certified by his office.

But Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, who appeared at the afternoon news conference, warned senators about blocking Burris from being seated.

"There are no African-Americans in the U.S. Senate. And I don't think any U.S. senator who's sitting in the Senate right now wants to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the U.S. Senate," he said.

"I would ask you to not hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer and separate the appointee from the appointer," Rush said. "Roland Burris is worthy."

Rush said he will take that argument to the Congressional Black Caucus as well as U.S. senators -- including Dick Durban, a Democrat and Illinois' senior senator.

"This is not about race at all," Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, told CNN on Tuesday.

"The problem is the appointer, not the appointee. ... The governor in this act of defiance is doing more harm than good," she said.

Blagojevich, however, defended his pick, calling Burris a "wise and distinguished senior statesman" with "unquestioned integrity."

Blagojevich asked the media not to visit any of his political troubles on Burris.

"Please don't let the allegations against me taint this good and honest man," he said.

Burris said Tuesday that it's "incomprehensible that the people of the great state of Illinois will enter the 111th Congress shorthanded."

"I welcome the challenge that awaits us ... have faith that the record I have forged in the past four decades, and I'm proud of the accomplishments as a public servant."

Burris, a principal at Burris & Lebed Consulting in Chicago, would serve the remaining two years of Obama's Senate term. Burris previously ran and lost bids for the U.S. Senate and governor, losing the gubernatorial nomination once to Blagojevich.

Burris on Tuesday also responded to questions about Blagojevich's legal troubles. Video Watch Burris accept the Senate appointment »

"I have no comment on what the governor's circumstance is," he said. "As a former attorney general of the state, I know ... that in this legal process, you're innocent until you're proven guilty."

Burris does not have to be formally approved by the Senate.

But, according to associate Senate Historian Don Ritchie, if there is a question about the appointment, the Senate could reject the appointment and immediately vacate the seat, or vote to seat the senator pending an investigation by the Rules Committee or some other body.

Despite the pressure for him to step aside, Blagojevich said he was required by law to fill the Senate seat.

"The people of Illinois are entitled to have two United States senators represent them in Washington, D.C. As governor, I am required to make this appointment. If I don't make this appointment, then the people of Illinois will be deprived of their appropriate voice and vote in the United States Senate," he told reporters.

There was no comment on the appointment from Obama's office. Obama has previously called on Blagojevich to resign, urging Illinois leaders to come up with a procedure to name his replacement.
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A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said "no comment" when asked for reaction to the Burris announcement.

Although Blagojevich, 52, has not commented publicly on the charges, his lawyer Ed Genson said the governor has done nothing wrong and does not intend to step down. It is the sole authority of the Illinois governor to name a successor to serve the remaining two years of Obama's term