Feds probe gift to Illinois governor

The Chicago Tribune reports:

The FBI is investigating allegations by the wife of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's former campaign treasurer that her state job may have come in return for a $1,500 personal check her husband wrote to one of Blagojevich's children.

The inquiry is the first public indication that Blagojevich and his personal finances are under federal scrutiny as part of a sweeping criminal probe of political hiring in his administration.

The governor's office released a statement Friday saying the check was a gift for his daughter's 7th birthday from the governor's best friend and any suggestion otherwise is "simply ludicrous."

"It is an outrage that we even have to answer this question," the statement said.

The Illinois Way.