FBI tapes show Blagojevich discussing $100,000 bribe

Springfield, Illinois: When Governor Rod Blagojevich's voice emerged from secretly recorded FBI tapes for the first time on Tuesday, the alleged topic of discussion was a $100,000 bribe from a racetrack operator.

Blagojevich was in a hurry to see the money dropped into his campaign treasury by the end of last year, before new ethics rules took effect, impeachment prosecutor David Ellis told the Illinois state senators who will decide to oust him for abuse of power.

One of the recordings was with Blagojevich's brother, who reported about a talk with the racetrack operator.

Blagojevich was seeking the money in return for signing legislation that benefited the racing industry, said Ellis, who contends that the Blagojevich repeatedly tried to shake down people seeking state business.

Blagojevich continued to boycott proceedings, dismissing them as a "political witch hunt."