"I should say if anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it," he said. 

Democrat Blagojevich, 51, and his chief of staff John Harris, 46, who were to appear later Tuesday in a federal court in Chicago, are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

'The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering,' Fitzgerald said in a statement.

'They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States Senator, involved himself personally in pay-to- play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism.'

The charges also relate to allegations that Blagojevich and Harris schemed with previously convicted defendants and Obama associates Antonin Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ali Ata and others to arrange financial benefits in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts and access to state funds.

They are also accused of sacking members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board who were critical of the governor, according to a Justice Department statement.

Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Solicitation of bribery carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Both carry a maximum fine of $250,000. 

Blagojevich is in his second four-year term as Illinois governor, which ends in January 2011. Last month he said he was forming a panel to review candidates to fill Obama's Senate seat.