AP Exclusive:Union members appointed after $10,000 donation to Gov. Blagojevich

The AP reports:

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed two elevator union members to a new elevator safety board about the time the union gave him a $10,000 contribution.

Records reviewed by The Associated Press show the appointments were made in July 2003. That was about two weeks before Blagojevich's campaign cashed the check from Local 2 of the International Union of Elevator Constructors.

Frank Christensen is Local Two's business manager and the elevator board's chairman. He says he applied for the post but there was no connection between the contribution and the appointments.

Allegations that the Blagojevich administration traded state board posts for contributions will come up at the federal fraud trial of Tony Rezko which started today.

Rezko was Blagojevich's top fundraiser and is charged with a scheme to extort kickbacks from businesses seeking state contracts.

Christensen says he's never met Rezko.

Imagine that.