Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who faced federal corruption charges, said  on Friday that he was not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and intends to stay on the job.

At a press conference held in downtown Chicago on Friday afternoon, the governor, in his first public appearance since his Dec. 9 arrest, said: "I will fight until I take my last breath."

"I'm not going to quit a job that people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob," he added.

Blagojevich read a statement but refused to take any questions at the press conference.

The governor was charged in a federal criminal complaint with allegedly attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, along with other corruption charges.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2008)