CHICAGO, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Tribune Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sam Zell acknowledged the FBI contacted him in the corruption probe of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The Chicago Tribune owner refused to discuss details, but told CNBC he was aware of no attempt by the governor to force the firing of editorial writers at the newspaper.
"I'm not personally familiar with any of that, and considering the fact that this is an ongoing criminal investigation, I would feel reticent to comment accordingly," he told CNBC.
An FBI affidavit alleges Blagojevich demanded writers who had raised the possibility of the governor's impeachment be fired as a price for supporting a state-backed bond sale benefiting Zell's company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday.
The bonds would have supported a purchase of Tribune-owned Wrigley Field, where the Tribune-owned Chicago Cubs have played home games since 1916. Tribune was considering selling the ballpark while entertaining separate offers for the Cubs.
No editorial writers were fired, the Tribune said.
Zell could not be reached by United Press International for an interview.
