Illinois Marathon Pundit

At least one official hired by Gov. Blagojevich's administration wore a hidden recording device as part of the federal government's ongoing investigation of the governor's hiring practices, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

The person wore the wire for an undisclosed period of time, a source familiar with the probe said. That source confirmed the feds' tactic on the conditions that the individual who was wired not be identified and that those who have been recorded not be named.

Besides the wire, investigators also have interviewed several potential witnesses regarding the Democratic governor's hiring practices, the source said.

The disclosure about the wire comes after a week of both triumph and tribulations for Blagojevich, a first-term Democrat expected to seek re-election next year. His groundbreaking $45 million program to provide health insurance for up to 250,000 uninsured Illinois children flew through the General Assembly, but he was dogged by three rounds of federal subpoenas being delivered to his administration.

# posted by Marathon Pundit @ 8:54 AM