CHICAGO, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. investigators say they have allegations linking Illinois agencies to massive political hiring, the Chicago Tribune reports.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a letter that a number of agencies in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration were implicated in "allegations of endemic hiring fraud."
The June 20 letter to state Attorney General Lisa Madigan said a number of credible witnesses have come forward in the yearlong investigation into political hiring.
The Tribune reported the letter also thanked Madigan for turning over her office's files on a state investigation to the federal operation.
No one has yet been charged in the investigation.
A spokeswoman for the governor said there were a "few bad apples," but they were being rooted out by Blagojevich's reforms.
The Tribune said the governor's office has requested personnel lists from 15 state agencies in the wake of the federal investigation.
The emerging scandal is clouding the governor's efforts for re-election in November, the newspaper said.
Fitzgerald is also the special counsel investigating alleged White House leaks of a covert CIA official's identity.
