Lawyer says Ald. Ed Burke did nothing wrong

CHICAGO (AP) - An attorney for a powerful Chicago alderman charged with trying to shake down a major fast-food chain says he looks forward to demonstrating that his client did nothing wrong. 

The lawyer for Ed Burke spoke to reporters as he left the Chicago federal courthouse Thursday afternoon following the alderman's initial appearance. Burke turned himself in and was not jailed pending trial. 

Charles Sklarsky said "the transaction" described in the complaint "does not make ... extortion or an attempt to extort." He declined further comment. 

Burke is accused of trying to shake down a fast-food restaurant chain seeking city remodeling permits. The complaint does not name the company or the specific executives he allegedly tried to extort.