Sen. Roland W. Burris provided misleading information to investigators and had inappropriate phone calls with former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich , but did not violate the law, the Senate’s ethics committee said Friday.

Ending a investigation of several months, the Select Committee on Ethics released a “public letter of qualified admonition” saying the Democrat’s actions and statements reflect unfavorably on the Senate. While the evidence did not show that Burris violated the law, the committee noted that senators “must meet a much higher standard of conduct.”

Burris provided inconsistent information in sworn statements and often gave contradictory explanations for failing to disclose his contacts with Blagojevich’s associates, the letter says. The panel began its investigation soon after Burris was sworn into the Senate in January.

Blagojevich appointed Burris to President Obama’s former Senate seat Dec. 30, 2008 — weeks after the then-governor was arrested on federal charges of soliciting bribes and conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a wide-ranging “pay to play” scandal.

Senate Democratic leaders initially refused to seat Burris, declaring that any appointment by Blagojevich was tainted. They relented only after his assurances under oath that he had not attempted to buy the seat through favors or contributions.

Burris initially said in a Jan. 5 affidavit that he had no contact with people close to Blagojevich about the appointment to the Senate seat. In testimony before the Illinois legislative committee, he said he had only had one such contact, with a Blagojevich aide. However, in a second affidavit released in February, Burris disclosed additional contacts with the governor.

In addition, the ethics committee found that during a Nov. 13, 2008, phone call with Blagojevich’s brother Robert, Burris pleaded for the appointment to the Senate seat and indicated he would help raise money for the governor. The phone call “while not raising to the level of an explicit quid pro quo, was inappropriate,” the committee letter said.

Burris has decided to retire in 2010 when his term is up. In a press release, Burris’ office trumpeted the closing of the ethics committee inquiry and noted that Burris has become “a key member” of the Democratic caucus.