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* The Sun-Times puts together a timeline of when Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. talked to the feds. Turns out, it wasn’t until late summer of this year…
Late summer 2008: Federal authorities and Jackson have their first telephone conversation about his 2006 meeting with Rezko, a source close to Jackson said last week. During that conversation, Jackson volunteers that his wife, Sandi — who became a Chicago alderman in 2007 — was being considered for a job as Illinois Lottery director in 2002 after Blagojevich had won his first term as governor.
Rep. Jackson also tells the feds that Blagojevich later indicated to him that Sandi Jackson did not get the job because Rep. Jackson did not contribute $25,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign fund.
“During this conversation, the U.S. attorney said, ‘Yes, we would like to sit down with you … about these two things: the Sandi incident and about the meeting with Rezko,’” the Jackson source said.
“And the congressman said ‘Fine, we’ll get together with you guys, no problem.’ However, at the time — this was late summer or so — there was already those thinking that Barack was going to be elected president and that the governor was going to appoint the next U.S. senator.” Jackson then told the feds he was interested in the Senate seat.
“The U.S. attorney said, ‘Fine, what we’ll do is we’ll put it on hold right now. We will get back with you after the presidential election.”
At some point thereafter, Jackson got a call about scheduling that meeting, but it was agreed that it was too early to set a date.
So, he squealed but he didn’t want to totally squeal until after the election? I’m not sure I get that reasoning. Did he want to avoid informing on Blagojevich in order to snag that Senate seat?
Nov. 5 or shortly thereafter: Jackson talks again to the feds by phone.
“We did have another conversation the day or so after the presidential election,” the Jackson source said. “The U.S. attorney said we still want to talk to you about these things, but we understand now there’s an open seat, so let’s postpone our meeting again.
“We want to talk to you after the appointment and before the inauguration. We’ll meet anywhere you want to go.”
It sure would be helpful if the US Attorney would clarify this story, but don’t hold your breath.
Night of Dec. 8: Feds try to call Jackson on his home phone and cell phone to tell him about Blagojevich’s arrest and that his name might surface in the case. They cannot reach him.
Dec. 9: Blagojevich is arrested.
Dec. 9: The feds reach Jackson at his Washington, D.C., office. They tell him “he is not a target and he is not suspected of doing anything wrong,” according to the Jackson source.
My sources indicate that the feds didn’t call Jackson the night before the arrest. Indeed, the spokesman for the US Attorney’s office said he believed Jackson’s attorney “misspoke” when he claimed earlier this month that the congressman was given a heads up.
Again, a clarification from Fitz would be nice.
* Meanwhile…
A key figure in Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s alleged scheme to sell a U.S. Senate seat has sought immunity from federal authorities in return for his cooperation.
Businessman and political fundraiser Raghuveer P. Nayak is Individual D in the federal complaint, sources said. Individual D was being squeezed by the governor for campaign cash, according to prosecutors, in order to appoint Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Investigators appeared at Nayak’s home in Oak Brook, a Chicago suburb, the morning the FBI arrested Blagojevich, the sources said. Federal agents that day contacted a number of people connected to the case. […]
The Chicago Tribune has reported that Nayak hosted an Oct. 31 luncheon where he discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to help persuade the governor to choose Jackson.
The congressman’s brother Jonathan appeared at a Nayak-sponsored fundraiser for the governor three days before Blagojevich was arrested. […]
Jackson’s lawyer, James Montgomery Sr., reacted to the news of Nayak’s bid for immunity by saying, “If that is indeed the case, and if that cooperation relates to my client, then [Nayak] is trying to save his own skin. That’s all I have to say.”
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:01 am
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It leaves a lot of holes. Sounds like a typical PR feed to “assure” friends that JJJr isn’t wired on a daily basis–just when the need arises.
Comment by Narcoleptic Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:09 am
The Jackson “sources” are really flaying around.
I think his initial motivation was to persuade people that he wasn’t a target of the probe, and was instead a junior G-man. He didn’t think it through; now everyone he deals with wonder how much “cooperating” he’s been doing.
I think the “sources” had better be careful about characterizing what the U.S. attorney has been saying. It might tempt some in that office to become “sources” on their own.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:18 am
JJJ is obviously attempting to turn lemons into lemonade. He want’s the Senate appointment so bad and he knows his political career has been potentially fatally damaged as a result of this scandal.
My feeling is that he is overstating his role as an “informant”.
Comment by stones Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:21 am
Jackson and his sources need to knock it off. What they’re implying is that the U.S. Attorney was complicit in the scheme to get Jackson his coveted Senate seat - highly unlikely, to say the least. If Fitzgerald or his office really agreed to delay using Jackson as a source, then either Jackson had nothing useful for them in the first place, or Jackson was indeed in the feds’ sights. Either way, Jackson doesn’t look good. And Fitzgerald doesn’t like to be upstaged in media coverage. Watch out, Junior…
Comment by phocion Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:28 am
Is it fair to use the term “squeal”? Whoever alerted the feds of this should be applauded, regardless of timing or how it was done.
Comment by Lurker Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:30 am
If J3 is speaking with the feds over the summer, why is he stumping so hard for the Senate seat, not to mention dispatching friends and relatives to host fundraisers on his behalf?
On a related note, I don’t believe for a New York minute that J3 didn’t have knowledge of or a hand in the fundraising efforts. That’s pure garbage.
Comment by The Doc Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:43 am
JJJ’s spin on these events will surely prove to be 100% b.s. He was desperate to get the appointment. He was sending out press releases left and right. He had somebody reach out to the governor and lo and behold, there was a funder with Jackson’s brother. But we are to believe that he has been a “good government” cooperator on Rod issues for months? Sure, he was. He just forgot to tell them that somebody was putting the arm on him.
Bottom line, JJJ is going to get muddied up here. This might be enough to make sure that he is never elected mayor, governor, senator or county board president, which isn’t going to break a lot of hearts. Finally, as to his suitability as a US Senator, he didn’t even make Obama’s list. That says plenty, to me.
Comment by chiatty Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:49 am
=My feeling is that he is overstating his role as an “informant”.==
J3 denies he is an informant. Cambridge is amending the definition of the word in response to J3’s claim.
Comment by Gabriel Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 9:55 am
Assuming the “truth” of the timeline (as truth and Jesse Jackson, Jr. don’t typically belong in the same paragraph), the real question becomes:
If JJJ — being such a straight-shooting good guy — is on such friendly terms with the U.S. Attorneys’ Office, why didn’t they ask him to wear a wire to further their case against Blagojevich? Based on the fact they were already eavesdropping on Blagojevich’s strategies, they could have had JJJ actually give Blagojevich a check for the “up front” money he was looking for and strengthened their case.
I wonder what possible explanation there would be that they wouldn’t bring JJJ into the inner workings of the investigation? Hmmmmmmm . . .
Comment by Anon Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:07 am
What we have seen and heard about Congressman Jackson over the past two months has not been very flattering. He hasn’t come off very well.
We all understand that ambition is something seemingly inseparable when it comes to politicians. This side of their personality is something successful ones attempt to hide. Their public image requires that they balance their ego with their pronouncements of public service.
However, there are times when they forget and blather a self-serving statement, or are exposed by news of some actual self-serving which may or may not be legal. At these points, we expect them to pull their pants back up and return to public service, and hope they learned a lesson.
Congressman Jackson was been walking around with his pants around his ankles and a wide grin on his face. Normally we look away so that he could be spared some embarrassments, but so far, Congressman Jackson has mistook our shifting glances. Instead, the Congressman believes we are squirming away from him because of his famous father, or because we don’t know his resume.
At his infamous press conference after he was publically outed as Senate Candidate #5, Congressman Jackson couldn’t get out of his “Me-Speak” groove beyond proclaiming his innocence. Instead of pulling up his pants, he reminded us of his past accomplishments, Barack Obama’s humble orgins, and the challenges of growing up entitled. His “Me-Speak” presentation continued with declarations of his Senatorial qualifications. Sure, we’ve seen nearly every politician have a bad day, yet Congressman Jackson’s bad day seems neverending.
Jackson’s image was a good one prior to Obama’s election. Without saying a word about it, voters understood that a silent hard working Jackson helped ease a public’s distrust of his father’s grandstanding. We knew that apples do not fall far from trees and believed that the Congressman’s bloviating days would eventually appear. Twelve years in Congress seems about all he could take with this role. When Obama went from Hyde Park to the Oval Office, Jackson’s plan of White House greatness could no longer be contained.
After Election Day, the Congressman’s crafted mask of public service dropped. Like watching a staid CEO bolt down our street running after a garbage truck with a sack of dirty diapers, Jackson ran after this Senate seat, unaware of the stink he was raising or the scene he created.
With Jackson’s naked aggression, Obama’s replacement went from the Opinon page to People magazine. His fig leaf flew off, but Jackson didn’t care what voters saw. After Blagojevich’s arrest and Fitzgerald’s tapes, Jackson looked like a frat boy the morning after a big pledge - dazed, confused and embarrassed. The Dean’s List honor student was found covered in his own drool.
It has been downhill since then. Voters thought they knew Jackson. Now they see that he is just as ambitious, blindly egotistical, willing to spin, bend the rules, and cover up as his famous father. A decade of selfless public service gone in a flash.
The boy who had it all given to him is still pretending he doesn’t feel the chill as the crowd shouts “Geronimo!” at him.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:27 am
Methinks he protests too much, as they say. If he really was working with the feds, he would keep his mouth shut and watch things play out.
What he is really doing is trying to build a defense for down the road and muddy up the timelines. By saying he was already a junior g-man for unrelated issues he can later say he was going to report the sale of the Senate but the plot was exposed before he had all the facts.
I think this strategy will destroy his career but should keep him out of jail.
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:39 am
J3 won’t be able to go very far with his wife a Chicago Alderman now. The Jackson’s maintain two homes in Illinois so he can be eligible for Congress and Sandi can be eligible for the Chicago City Council.
The electoral dance for the City Council is typically your last.
Comment by Gabriel Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 10:55 am
Hate to say it, because the folks who write that “Watchdog” page in the Sun-Times are usually very good, but I thought today’s effort on Triple J was pretty shoddy journalism.
They quote a single “Jackson source” throughout the piece.
And I’m with Rich — I don’t believe for a second that the Feds gave a heads-up to Jr. the night before Blago’s arrest. They just don’t do that kind of thing.
The Trib story, on the other hand, is HUGE. A sure sign that Jesse’s problems aren’t going away any time soon. Interesting that Jr.’s attorney, James Montgomery, is already dumping on Nayak.
I suggest Jesse get a new lawyer. Montgomery is great if your sueing the city or a big coporation, but he is no criminal defense attorney. It showed with that “(Nayak) is trying to save his own skin” statement.
Isn’t Montgomery clearly implying that Nayak is involved in some sort of conspiracy — and by extension, doesn’t that implicate Jr.?
Comment by R.A. Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 11:11 am
Apples don’t fall far from trees so I always think about the family tree. Rev Jesse has played behind the scenes for years and that’s what JJJ grew up viewing as the way to do business.
Comment by Ugh Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 12:57 pm
Wow, no comments about Raghuveer P. Nayak? It seems he could possibly be a BIG source of information. There are probably more than a few people trying to get an appointment to meet with the Fed’s to get on their good side.
Comment by Big Mama T Monday, Dec 22, 08 @ 3:26 pm