U.S. attorney wants to give panel wiretaps

CHICAGO, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A U.S. attorney asked a court Monday to allow the release of wiretap evidence to the panel considering the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said he had received a bipartisan request for the release of the secret evidence from the the Special Investigative Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives, which must submit a report to the General Assembly by Jan. 14.

The U.S. attorney has charged Blagojevich with attempting to sell appointment to state offices and President-elect Barack Obama's empty U.S. Senate seat in exchange for personal gain, among other things.

Fitzgerald and the FBI surreptitiously collected a large amount of wiretap evidence, but specifically wants to release the edited contents of four phone calls. Part of the evidence would deal with Obama's seat.

The U.S. attorney said in the motion that the law does not require him to get the court's permission, but he is doing so out of "an abundance of caution."

Besides a ruling that says the release of the evidence is lawful, Fitzgerald is also asking the court to declare that the state panel may use the evidence in the performance of its duties.