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Jackson's Lawyer: I "Assume" He's Candidate 5
In a televised press conference this afternoon, Jesse Jackson Jr.'s lawyer all but confirmed that his client is Senate Candidate 5 -- as we suspected from the start.
Asked whether he believes that Jackson is Candidate 5, James Montgomery said: "I do." He added: "He did not specifically tell me that, but I can assume it from our conversation."
Montgomery said that Jackson is guilty of no wrongdoing, and that both Montgomery and Jackson have been told by law enforcement that Jackson is not a target of the investigation. And he said that he and Jackson are scheduled to meet with US Attorney Pat Fitzgerald on Friday or Monday.
Just to remind you, in the indictment filed against Rod Blagojevich, the governor claims that an "emissary" from Candidate 5 approached him about a "pay to play" deal for the open Senate seat that Blagojevich has the power to fill.
Josh
Zachary
Interesting -- he's NOT a target of the investigation, but he's meeting with Fitz anyway. Wonder who called for the meeting -- Jackson or Fitz?
December 10, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just to be the same stickler for accuracy that Fitzgerald was in his press conference, "the indictment filed against Rod Blagojevich" was not an indictment. It was a criminal complaint filed by a prosecutor to justify an arrest. Fitzgerald will have to get a grand jury indictment within 20 days, I believe. The complaint and arrest were done hurriedly yesterday to forestall Blagojevich from making the Senate appointment or doing other allegedly bad things as early as yesterday or today.
Look forward to the indictment to contain a somewhat more filled-out narrative, and likely another press conference explaining what is being charged by the grand jury.
December 10, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
You at TPMMuckraker, of all people, should remember the meaning of "I am not a target".
Remember Karl Rove's response to his involvement in the Plame affair? Does the name Tom DeLay ring any bells?
"Not being a target" and "being under investigation" aren't mutually exclusive. "Being a target" means "having received a target letter", i.e. being only a hair's breadth from actually being indicted.
Once a suspect uses those words, you should immediately start asking the question: But are you under investigation?
As TPMMuckraker quoted from the Great Falls Tribune:
"Target" is a specific term indicating that a prosecutor or grand jury likely has evidence linking someone to a crime.
Article 001567.php continues:
In fact, the "not a target" line is such a beloved instrument of the mucked-up pol that we've incorporated it into our TPMmuckraker Political Scandal Process (TM).
For those uninitiated to the TPSP, Stages I-III include:
- Allegations of wrongdoing appearing in media
- Hiring of expensive lawyer
- News of federal investigation appearing in media.
Stage IV is the denial that the lawmaker is, in fact, a target.
December 11, 2008 8:15 AM | Reply | Permalink