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| Sources Say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Is 'Senate Candidate No. 5' | ||
| 2008-12-10 | ||
| Geez. A Jackson getting shaken down instead of the other way around. That's different... Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the anonymous "Senate Candidate No. 5" whose emissaries Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly offered up to $1 million to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News.
Jackson said this morning he was contacted Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Chicago whom he said "asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process." Jackson said, "I don't know" when asked whether he was Candidate No. 5, but said he was told "I am not a target of this investigation." Jackson said he agreed to talk with federal investigators "as quickly as possible" after he consulted with a lawyer.
"Senate Candidate No. 5" played a key role in the governor's efforts to obtain something of value in exchange for the Senate appointment, according to the FBI affidavit. According to the affidavit, Blagojevich threatened to appoint Senate Candidate No. 5 if President-elect Obama refused to help get his wife on "paid corporate boards right now. If they feel like they can do this and not f-- give me anything then I'll f-- go to [Senate Candidate 5]." The FBI says that during an Oct. 31 conversation, Blagojevich described an approach from an associate of Senate Candidate 5: "We were approached 'pay to play.' That, you know, he'd raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him [Senate Candidate 5] a senator." On Thursday, the FBI says Blagojevich "was giving Senate Candidate 5 greater consideration for the Senate seat" because he might "get some [money] up front, maybe." Deeeeelicious! | ||
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #12 Too bad the FBI didn't wait until money was exchanged and a new senator named. Would have been entertaining to see the supreme court justices swear in the first senator from prison. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-12-10 19:56 |
| #11 "...but said he was told "I am not a target of this investigation." Not a target...Hah! That's DoJ-Speak for...At this time you haven't been indicted...yet. Didja notice Jr. didn't go out of his way to deny that he was a subject of this investigation. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2008-12-10 19:18 |
| #10 Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says he is "not a target of this investigation," and portrayed himself as completely duped by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich in his efforts to win appointment to Barack Obama's Senate seat. Duped, I tells ya! Duped!! In an emotional yet forceful speech in a Capitol press room, Jackson said he merely laid out his qualifications and his record to Blagojevich in a Monday meeting in Chicago, ...in small bills , I'm betting. adding that he was "appalled" at the "pay for play" scandal surrounding Obama's Senate seat. Appalled, I tells ya! Appalled!! "I thought mistakenly I had a chance" at the Senate seat, Jackson said. "I did not know this process had been corrupted." It's a conspiracy by THE MAN to keep me down! Merely by being the so-called "Senate Candidate 5" in the Blagojevich indictment, Jackson's shot at the seat is tainted, but he did not back down, insisting that he has the most seniority of virtually any other Democrat in the Illinois House delegation and he has the record and qualifications to take the seat. Dammit! Dumb ass honky just couldn't keep his big mouth shut! I had the money, you dumb ass cracker! I HAD THE MONEY! Yet Jackson has hired a Chicago lawyer and said he would take no questions from the press. ...a clear indication of total innocence. "I want to make this fact plain," Jackson said. "I have no involvement in any wrongdoing." He added that he "never sent any message or any emissary to the governor" to discuss the alleged $500,000 in campaign donations that Blagojevich was demanding from "Senate Candidate 5." In Chicago, certain things are just understood... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-12-10 17:22 |
| #9 |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-10 16:28 |
| #8 Honor among theives? He learned from dad that you don't necessarily have to have it. The art is in The Scam. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-12-10 16:23 |
| #7 Blagojevich said he had a history with Senate Candidate 5 not following through on promises What ever happened to honor among thieves? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-12-10 15:22 |
| #6 Things are shakin' on Shakedown Street -- Grateful Dead |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-12-10 15:06 |
| #5 Oh I dunno, he's pretty amusing when he squirms under the lights. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-10 13:50 |
| #4 Don't go away mad, Junior, just go away. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2008-12-10 13:45 |
| #3 More... Blagojevich thought Senate Candidate 5 could deliver something immediately: "Later on December 4, 2008, BLAGOJEVICH spoke to Fundraiser A. BLAGOJEVICH stated he was "elevating" Senate Candidate 5 on the list of candidates for the open Senate seat. BLAGOJEVICH stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided BLAGOJEVICH with something "tangible up front." Blagojevich said he had a history with Senate Candidate 5 not following through on promises: "BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that BLAGOJEVICH had a problem with Senate Candidate 5 just promising to help BLAGOJEVICH because BLAGOJEVICH had a prior bad experience with Senate Candidate 5 not keeping his word." Blagojevich believed Senate Candidate 5 could raise money or deliver money: "On December 4, 2008, BLAGOJEVICH spoke to Advisor B and informed Advisor B that he was giving Senate Candidate 5 greater consideration for the Senate seat because, among other reasons, if BLAGOJEVICH ran for re-election Senate Candidate 5 would "raise[] money" for BLAGOJEVICH, although BLAGOJEVICH said he might "get some (money) up front, maybe" from Senate Candidate 5 to insure Senate Candidate 5 kept his promise about raising money for BLAGOJEVICH. (In a recorded conversation on October 31, 2008, BLAGOJEVICH described an earlier approach by an associate of Senate Candidate Five as follows: "We were approached 'pay to play.' That, you know, he'd raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him (Senate Candidate 5) a Senator.")" Blagojevich said he was getting a lot of pressure not to appoint Senate Candidate 5: "BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that Senate Candidate 5 was very much a realistic candidate for the open Senate seat, but that BLAGOJEVICH was getting "a lot of pressure" not to appoint Senate Candidate 5." |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-12-10 13:35 |
| #2 Jackson told ABC News. "An impossibility to an absolute certainty." Clear text translation.... 'We were running the numbers when that BLEEP BLEEP Blago went down.' |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-10 13:22 |
| #1 Like father like son. |
| Posted by: Beavis 2008-12-10 13:17 |