Meanwhile, Senate leaders in Washington were deciding how to handle the expected arrival of Blagojevich's appointee, Mr Roland Burris, for the swearing in of new senators next week. They have vowed to block Mr Burris from being seated.

In Illinois, the state House has bumped up its schedule and will meet several days next week. They had been set to reconvene on Jan 12.

A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan says the state chamber may vote on a recommendation from the special committee studying whether Blagojevich should be impeached. It would take a simple majority vote for the House to impeach - which basically means accusing him of misconduct.

Then the state Senate would hold a trial to determine if the governor is guilty. A conviction there requires a two-thirds majority.

Blagojevich was arrested on Dec 9 on charges alleging he schemed to swap the president-elect's vacant Senate seat for profit. Mr Burris has not been implicated in the scandal, but officials are challenging any appointment by the governor.

Blagojevich has ignored calls from fellow Democrats - including Mr Obama - to step down. He further defied party leaders by naming Mr Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, to the seat on Tuesday.

In Washington, Democratic leaders said they plan to grant few if any privileges next week to Mr Burris, even if he arrives for next Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony with the right credentials.

Senate officials involved in the tangle of legal and logistical planning said on Friday that a Democrat will object to Mr Burris being duly sworn in with the rest of his class, and propose that his credentials be reviewed for a period of time by the Rules Committee.

The only way Mr Burris will be allowed on the floor is if he possesses a certification of appointment signed personally by his embattled patron, Blagojevich, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Mr Burris would then be treated as a senator-elect, which by tradition means he'll be allowed on the Senate floor without voting or speaking privileges - and he wouldn't be granted a desk, according to these officials. They demanded anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak publicly on the matter.

Privately, Democrats have been busily charting out the choreography for Mr Burris' arrival, conscious of the racial sensitivity involved with blocking Mr Burris from becoming the Senate's only black member. And there is significant debate over whether the Senate has any legal standing to turn away a person who meets the Constitution's qualifications for serving in the chamber.

Senate Democrats believe the Constitution and their agenda-setting power gives them the tools for a slow-motion rejection of Mr Burris' credentials if they are not signed, in person, by both the governor and Mr White, who has refused to certify anyone Blagojevich appoints.

The corruption charges against Blagojevich that he tried to sell Mr Obama's seat strip credibility from anyone appointed by the governor, according to Democrats and Mr Obama. Republicans have called for a special election.

Senate Republicans have been wary about commenting on the situation, pleased to see Democrats mucking through a political mess of their own party's making.

Republican Whip Jon Kyl said on Friday that he wants to review state and federal law before opining on whether Mr Burris should be seated.

Still, he questioned whether the legal status of the patron is enough reason to block the appointee.

'The Senate has to be very careful of setting a precedent that just because it doesn't like the governor that appointed (Mr Burris) we therefore refuse to seat a qualified appointee,' Mr Kyl said in a telephone interview.

The man charged with letting people through the door of the chamber, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer, said he expects the two sides to work out a deal before Tuesday.

Mr Gainer has known Mr Burris since their days in Illinois law enforcement, when Mr Burris was attorney general and Mr Gainer was the director of the state police.

'I have known Roland Burris for a number of years,' Mr Gainer said in a telephone interview. 'He is a good man. He plays by the rules.

I don't think there's going to be a confrontation.'

The chances of confrontation drop dramatically if Blagojevich stays in Illinois, as Senate officials expect. As a sitting governor, he is entitled to floor privileges and for a time this week some Senate officials said they were concerned that he intended to accompany Mr Burris into the chamber.

A spokesman for Blagojevich said there's no plan for the governor to attend the proceedings. -- AP