Jesse Jackson Jr.

Jackson Has Been Talking To Feds About Blagojevich Since The Summer

Zachary Roth | December 16, 2008, 4:00PM

Looks like Jesse Jackson has been cooperating with Pat Fitzgerald's probe of Rod Blagojevich for longer than we knew.

The Associated Press reports:

A spokesman for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. tells The Associated Press the congressman has been talking to federal investigators about his dealings with Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) since summertime.

Spokesman Rick Bryant wouldn't give details of those discussions Tuesday morning.

But a report from WLS-TV in Chicago cites unidentified sources as saying Jackson has told investigators Blagojevich wouldn't appoint Jackson's wife as state lottery director because Jackson wouldn't donate $25,000 to the governor's campaign fund.

Jackson has admitted to being "Senate Candidate 5" identified in the charging document against the Illinois governor. Blagojevich says in a recorded conversation that an "emissary" from Candidate 5 proposed a "pay to play" deal for Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

Late update: In fact, Jackson's cooperation may have gone on for much longer than that. CNN reports:

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. has served as an informant to the U.S. attorney's office in Illinois, two sources close to Jackson tell CNN.

Jackson has served as an informant for more than a decade and has relayed information relating to embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich since 2006, the sources said.

Jesse Jackson Jr.

Report: Businessmen Said They Were Raising Money For Blago To Get Senate Seat For Jackson

Zachary Roth | December 12, 2008, 10:57AM

This doesn't look great for Jesse Jackson Jr.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois' next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job, the Tribune has learned.

At a luncheon meeting on October 31, Nayak and Rajinder Bedi told many of the attendees that they were organizing a fundraiser for Blagojevich, and that the purpose of the event was to get Jackson named to the Senate seat, two sources tell the Trib.

The meeting led to a fundraiser last Saturday which was attended by Jesse Jackson's brother, a former business partner of one of the businessmen, Raghuveer Nayak.

One source told the paper that he overheard Nayak and Bedi discussing plans with another politically active Indian-American businessman.

Raghu said he needed to raise a million for Rod to make sure Jesse got the seat," the second businessman said. "He said, 'I can raise half of it, $500,000.' The idea was that the other two would help raise the rest.

Nayak and Bedi are politically active in Chicago's Indian-American community. Nayak has raised money for Blagojevich and contributed to Jackson. Bedi is an aide to Blagojevich, who the governor is said to call "my Sikh warrior."

Speaking to a local Fox affiliate outside his home this morning, Jackson responded to the Trib's report.

He called Nayak a "great man" and a" family friend, but then said: "I'm confident that no one on my behalf made a single offer to anyone for anything. I wouldn't accept the position if it were offered under those circumstances."

Jackson continued:

I had not met with Governor Blagojevich in four years until I was granted a meeting on Monday, where I presented the governor with my credentials. What I was unaware of was that the governor was pitting Candidate 1 against Candidate 5, against Candidate 2, against Candidate 3, trying to exact (sic) something out of everyone in the process.

Jackson's own lawyer has all but confirmed that Jackson is Candidate 5. In the charges filed Tuesday against Blagojevich, the governor says he was approached by an "emissary" from Candidate 5, proposing a "pay to play" arrangement for the Senate seat.

Jesse Jackson Jr.

Blitzer: Fitz Doesn't Have Jackson On Tape

Zachary Roth | December 10, 2008, 5:25PM

On CNN within the last hour, Wolf Biltzer slipped in some interesting and potentially important news about what federal prosecutors might and might not have on Jesse Jackson Jr., who today was all but confirmed by his lawyer to be Senate Candidate 5.

Talking to legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Blitzer said that according to law enforcement sources, Pat Fitzgerald's office does not have recordings of Jackson himself speaking to Rod Blagojevich as part of the US Attorney's investigation into the governor.

If true, that would be significant, because the indictment filed yesterday against the governor quotes him telling an aide that an "emissary" from Jackson approached the governor and proposed a "pay-to-play" deal in regard to the open US Seante seat that Blagojevich has the power to fill.

If Fitzgerald doesn't have evidence of Jackson himself talking about any such deal, it would appear to lessen the chances that Jackson will be charged.

Of course, there are some caveats here. We've been unable to get more details on Blitzer's report, and haven't seen it corroborated elsewhere.

And even if true, Blitzer's report doesn't exlcude the possibility that Fitzgerald has a recording of an aide to Jackson -- perhaps the "emissary" to whom Blagojevich referred -- talking about the alleged deal.

Still, this is worth trying to learn more about...

Barack Obama

Jackson: I Did Nothing Wrong

Zachary Roth | December 10, 2008, 4:40PM

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. just gave a press conference adamantly denying any wrongdoing in connection with the Blagojevich charges.

"I reject and denounce pay-to-play politics, and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrongdoing,"Jackson said.

He added: "I did not initiate or authorize anyone at any time to promise anything to Governor Blagojevich at any time."

Jackson continued: "I spoke to the US Attorney's office and they shared with me that ... I am not accused of any misconduct."

Jackson said he met with the governor Tuesday (he meant Monday, it appears) to discuss the Senate seat, as was reported at the time, but that he believed he was in consideration on the merits.

He closed with an effort to associate himself with civil-rights history, saying he wanted to be judged "on the content of my character."

Earlier today, Jackson's lawyer all but admitted that Jackson is Senate Candidate 5. In the indictment filed against 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.

Jesse Jackson Jr.

Jackson's Lawyer: I "Assume" He's Candidate 5

Zachary Roth | December 10, 2008, 3:59PM

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.

Jesse Jackson Jr.

Report: Jackson Jr. Is Candidate Five

Zachary Roth | December 10, 2008, 11:49AM

ABC News is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson is "Senate Candidate 5". The report is attributed to "federal law enforcement sources."

The charging documents in the Rod Blagojevich case quote the governor telling an aide that an "emissary" from Candidate 5 contacted him and proposed a "pay to play" arrangement in regard to the US Senate seat left open by Barack Obama, which Blagojevich has the authority to fill.

The governor also says he thinks he might be able to get something "tangible, up front" from Candidate 5 in return for the appointment.

Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted by federal prosecutors who "asked me to come and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process."

Asked whether he was Candidate 5, Jackson Jr. said "I don't know," but added that he had been told he was not a target of the investigation.

We suggested yesterday that Jackson Jr. might be Candidate 5.

Barack Obama

Is Jesse Jackson Jr. Candidate 5?

Zachary Roth | December 9, 2008, 12:06PM

Is Senate Candidate 5, who appears to have been particularly willing to play ball with Blago, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr?

The unnamed candidate appears to be a man. From the charging documents:

Rod Blagojevich told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that Rod Blagojevich had a problem with Senate Candidate 5 just promising to help Rod Blagojevich because Rod Blagojevich had a prior bad experience with Senate Candidate 5 not keeping his word. (our itals)

That rules out Valerie Jarrett -- already assumed to be Candidate 1 -- Tammy Duckworth, Lisa Madigan, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

There's also this from the charges:

On December 4 ... ROD BLAGOJEVICH noted he was going to meet with Senate Candidate 5 in the next few days.

Now look at this from the Chicago Tribune on December 6:

Jackson, the South Side and south suburban congressman, said Blagojevich's office is looking to set up a meeting between him and the governor, who has the sole power of filling the vacancy.

"Every indication, I believe, is in the next four or five days a meeting will take place," Jackson said.

And indeed, Jackson and Blagojevich met yesterday.

And as of December 3, National Journal reported at the time, he had already met with Rep. Luis Gutierrez as well as some of the female candidates.

That's a long way from proof that Candidate 5 is Jackson. But it's at least suggestive.