Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich being found guilty on 17 of 20 corruption charges might mean the House Ethics Committee probe into allegations against Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill) could get underway soon.
Back in November, the House Ethics Committee deferred taking any action in the Jackson matter at the request of the Justice Department. Federal officials had requested House staffers put off the matter until DOJ’s prosecution had wrapped up.
Jackson had been accused of telling one of his major campaign donors to give money to Blagojevich so the former Illinois governor would appointed Jackson to the Senate seat left empty by President Barack Obama.
Jackson was called to testify in Blagojevich’s trial, but said he didn’t know anything about the offer his supporters allegedly made to the former governor to appoint Jackson to the seat.
Representatives of the House Ethics Committee and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment, nor did a spokesman for Jackson.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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