Despite the GOP’s efforts to link Barack Obama to the Rod Blagojevich scandal, the president-elect states he’s “had no contact with the governor or his office so [he] was not aware of what was happening.” Further, according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s statement (pdf), Obama, in the words of TPM, “wouldn’t pay to play.” The statement, which references Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris (who was also arrested on corruption charges today) read:

In a conversation with Harris on November 11, the charges state, Blagojevich said he knew that the President-elect wanted Senate Candidate 1 for the open seat but “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them.”

The criminal complaint against Blagojevich and Harris (pdf) shows how Blagojevich felt about Obama; as it’s not-safe-for-work, I’ll hide it after the jump.

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ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it  up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his  senator.  Fuck him.  For nothing?  Fuck him.”  ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will put “[Senate Candidate 4]” in the Senate “before I just give fucking [Senate Candidate 1] a  fucking Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”  (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois).

As commenters are sure to note — in 3, 2, 1 — the criminal complaint references Tony Rezko, the former Democratic party fundraiser convicted on multiple charges of fraud and bribery. Rezko, who will be sentenced on Jan. 6, did some fundraising for Obama and at one time was his neighbor, selling a parcel of land he and his wife owned to Obama in a deal some say gives the appearance that Obama received a a favor in the purchase. At that time, Rezko was already under federal investigation; Obama has called the deal “boneheaded.” None of the 170 references to Rezko in the criminal complaint reference Obama in any way. US Attorney Fitzgerald stated that Obama is in no way implicated, a point of view others share.