Durbin: Burris's future as senator murky

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Roland Burris's failure to fully disclose his ties to impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich has clouded his future in the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin said.

Durbin, D-Ill., said he was troubled that revelations that Burris's relationship with Blagojevich weren't completely revealed during testimony and that Burris's status was in question, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

Burris has been caught up in controversy since he acknowledged that while he sought to be selected by Blagojevich to replace U.S. President Barack Obama in the Senate, he tried to raise funds for the former governor -- information he didn't tell Illinois lawmakers as they considered whether to impeach the governor or a Senate panel.

"I'm troubled by the fact that his testimony was not complete and it was unsatisfactory," Durbin told the Tribune Wednesday from Turkey, where he is on an official Senate trip. "It wasn't the full disclosure under oath that we were asking for. ... At this point, his future in the Senate seat is in question."

In Nevada, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Burris's story "seems to be changing day by day." Reid said, however, he would withhold judgment until after investigations by an Illinois county prosecutor and the Senate Ethics Committee.

Burris maintains he did nothing wrong, saying he welcomed the investigations and pledging he would "continue to be transparent."