Burris confirms request for Blagojevich donation

Burris admitted... Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor appointed Burris to the Senate.

...will ask Sunday for an outside investigation into whether Burris perjured himself.

The affidavit...said ...Blagojevich called... once in October and twice after the November election - to seek his fundraising assistance.

It's the second time Burris has changed his story.

"This wasn't a couple of questions that I can understand someone may forget, it goes way beyond that,"... "To say that he wasn't given the opportunity to explain himself is a load of B.S."

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Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a document released Saturday that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor appointed Burris to the Senate.

The disclosure is at odds with Burris' testimony in January when an Illinois House impeachment committee specifically asked if he had ever spoken to Robert Blagojevich or other aides to the now-deposed governor about the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.

State Rep. Jim Durkin, the impeachment committee's ranking Republican, told The Associated Press that he and House Republican Leader Tom Cross will ask Sunday for an outside investigation into whether Burris perjured himself.

Burris issued a statement Saturday saying he voluntarily gave the committee a Feb. 4 affidavit disclosing the contact with Robert Blagojevich because "there were several facts that I was not given the opportunity to make during my testimony to the impeachment committee."

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It's the second time Burris has changed his story. In an unsolicited affidavit to the impeachment committee on Jan. 6, Burris said he had only one limited conversation with the governor before accepting the Senate appointment.

Then, appearing before the committee Jan. 8, he said he told former Blagojevich aide-turned-lobbyist Lon Monk last summer that he was interested in the post.

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Senate Democrats in Washington, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Dick Durbin of Illinois, initially said they would not seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich but eventually relented. One condition of their acceptance was Burris' impeachment committee testimony under oath that there were no "pay to play" promises exchanged in his appointment.

A spokesman said Reid was reviewing the affidavit, and a spokeswoman for Durbin said he had no comment Saturday. The White House also had no comment.

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