Blago Report: Still No There There

What a big disappointment for the cynics.

The Obama transition team's report documenting its contacts with the Illinois governor's office on the Illinois Senate seat reveals exactly what we expected: that there was hardly any contact at all between the transition team and Blago's office, and that it was all appropriate.

There was no discussion whatsoever relating to any sort of this-for-that.  Nobody on the transition team had any idea of what was going on inside Blago's mind.

Moreover, it is obvious that the Obama team would have liked to release this report long ago. It was completed on the 15th, but at the request of the U.S. Attorney was not made public until today to allow Fitzgerald's office to complete its interviews, the last of which was conducted on the 20th.

At the request of the Office, we delayed the release of this report until such time as the interviews could be completed. The interviews took place over a period of three days: Thursday, December 18, 2008 (the President-Elect); December 19, 2008 (Valerie Jarrett); and December 20, 2008 (Rahm Emanuel).

Let me emphasize this point: the reason why the release of the Obama report was delayed was to allow Fitzgerald to complete his interviews with the transition team. In other words, everything that Obama's team has said has been true.

The case is (still) closed, but that probably won't stop folks from digging. I suppose that's fine -- as long as they stop making stuff up (like the 21 conversations that Rahm never had), and quit insisting that Obama's team prove a negative.