Blagojevich starts book tour on 'Today Show'

Rod Blagojevich began a weeklong book-tour media blitz Tuesday once again insisting on his innocence of the corruption charges that drove him from office as governor earlier this year.

Appearing on NBC's "Today," Blagojevich said, "The simple truth is what will vindicate me. I will be completely vindicated."

During the brief interview with "Today" host Meredith Viera, he repeated his explanation of what happened as he was trying to fill President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. He said he was planning to appoint Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as a way of greasing the wheels for legislation with state House Speaker Michael Madigan, when he was arrested by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald last December.

He said Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin were involved in negotiations with the Madigan deal, which he called routine politics.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, also admitted, however, to stating, as released on taped phone transcripts, "I have this thing and it's ... golden and I'm just not giving it up for ... nothing."

"I did say that," he told Viera, "but I said it in the context of politics."

He again called on the wiretap tapes to be released in their entirety and said they would vindicate him in court.

Blagojevich, in a telephone interview with the Associated Press Tuesday, also said he does worry about the possibility of going to prison. He said he starts thinking about such things "in the wee hours, in the witching hour. ... I'm only human."

Blagojevich's corruption case is expected to go to trial next year.

He was in New York on the day his book, "The Governor," went on sale. He'll appear on the ABC morning show "The View" Wednesday and ABC's late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Thursday.