CHICAGO - THE corruption-tainted governor of Illinois vowed on Friday to fight impeachment on charges that he abused his power and tried to auction off president-elect Barack Obama's senate for personal gain.

In an added twist to the political saga, a senior Democrat said the US Senate will not seat the man Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed to fill the coveted post.

A defiant Blagojevich dismissed a 114 to 1 vote by the Illinois House of Representatives to impeach him as a 'foregone conclusion' after years of confrontation with state legislators.

'The House's action today and the causes of the impeachment are because I've done things to fight for families,' Blagojevich told reporters after surrounding himself with a handful of people who had benefited from his programmes.

'So we're going to move forward. And I'm going to continue to fight every step of the way.'

Blagojevich, who was arrested December 9 amid what prosecutors called a 'political corruption crime spree' stands accused of a host of misdeeds.

Should a two-third majority of state senators find him guilty, the Democratic governor will be removed from office and replaced by lieutenant governor Patrick Quinn.

Illinois senator Dick Durbin said the US Senate would block the man Blagojevich tapped to replace Mr Obama until Mr Quinn was able to make a new appointment in a 'clean, legal, respectable way'.

Mr Roland Burris, who was appointed three weeks after Blagojevich's arrest, has insisted that his appointment was legally made and testified before a legislative impeachment inquiry on Thursday that he made no deals to gain the seat.

That did not sway Illinois secretary of state Jesse White, who said he cannot 'in good conscience' sign an election certificate for anyone appointed by Blagojevich.

The Illinois supreme court on Friday rejected an attempt by Burris to force White to certify his controversial appointment.

And without that signature the senate will not recognize the appointment, Mr Durbin said.

'It's unfortunate that during that point in time there may remain a vacancy in the senate for our state of Illinois, but I think it's best to suspend activities in the filling of that vacancy until this impeachment trial from the Illinois state senate is concluded,' Mr Durbin told reporters.

The scandal has proven an unwelcome distraction for Mr Obama as he prepares to take office on January 20.

While Mr Obama is not accused of any wrongdoing and an internal review found his team had no 'inappropriate' contacts with the governor's office, his incoming chief of staff has come under fire for discussing the seat with Blagojevich.

Illinois legislators put forth a litany of alleged abuses in the articles of impeachment.

'The evidence we gathered makes it clear that this governor tramples on the legislative prerogative. He breaks state and federal laws,' said Democratic House Majority leader Barbara Flynn Currie.

'In his own words he expresses a willingness to barter state official acts and state taxpayer money for personal and political gain,' she said.

'This governor has violated his oath of office. This governor has breached the public trust. This governor must be impeached.'

Prominent among the charges laid were details of a 76-page FBI affidavit accusing the governor of a lengthy pattern of corruption, including refusing to free up funds for a children's hospital until he received a $50,000 (S$74,200) campaign contribution.

The impeachment articles also accuse Blagojevich of widespread hiring abuses, acting without legislative approval to expand health care, wasting state money on useless flu vaccines to get good publicity and refusing to release information to the public.

Blagojevich did not address the bulk of the charges against him except to repeat his assertion that he is 'not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.' 'That issue will be dealt with on a separate course, in an appropriate forum, a federal court,' Blagojevich told reporters.

'And I'm confident that, at the end of the day, I will be properly exonerated.' -- AFP