Will J3 never learn?
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is already under investigation for using government resources, including his congressional e-mail account, to campaign for an appointment to the US Senate in 2010. You’d think he and his staff would learn. You’d be wrong. From WBEZ…
As [Jackson’s Democratic primary opponent Debbie Halvorson] moved toward launching her campaign in September and early October of 2011, WBEZ asked for comment from Jackson’s staff. In two instances, the aides sent statements from their government e-mail accounts, once with the subject line “Jesse Jr. statement in response to Halvorson” and another titled “Halverson statement” [sic].
In February, an unsolicited press release was sent noting the congressman’s opposition to a proposed immigrant detention center in south suburban Crete, Halvorson’s hometown. Deep in that document is a reference to Jackson’s “congressional opponent, Debbie Halvorson,” and a statement from the congressman noting that Halvorson did not speak out on the issue when she was in Congress. The release was sent from a government email account on government letterhead and remains posted on Jackson’s government website.
This past Monday, an unsolicited email, from a Jackson staff member’s government email account, contained nothing but a news clip about how a Super PAC is targeting Jackson in the upcoming election.
This is just insane. It’s like Jackson is all but begging for an expansion of the current investigation. Sheesh.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:08 am:
Very sloppy. Who runs his staff?
- Adam Smith - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:08 am:
Not to defend JJJ, but it has been held perfectly legal for congressional staff, using office resources to respond to media inquiries regarding political issues.
Congressional press secretaries get calls all the time from reporters asking, “is your boss running for this?” or “so and so is thinking of running against your boss, comment?”
The ethics guru’s in DC have repeatedly said it is ok to respond to those questions using government phones or e-mail.
The press release is too cute by half and they should have been much more circumspect, but it still is not a likely violation either.
- jeff - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:12 am:
Is it sloppy or arrogance?
- Bill - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:14 am:
==Who runs his staff?==
Nobody.
- The Captain - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:18 am:
Remember that time he called out the Feds and told them to put up or shut up and then in a completely unrelated coincidence (the Feds don’t leak, btw, just ask them) a picture of his girlfriend showed up on the front page of the Sun-Times? That was a hilarious example of things we’re not actually allowed to admit the Feds do, and that JJJ does poorly.
- Shore - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:22 am:
” but it has been held perfectly legal for congressional staff, using office resources to respond to media inquiries regarding political issues.”
Not from my experience.
As a side note it’s incredible what members in safe districts/seats can get away with and I would add David Vitter to this conversation.
- The Other Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:23 am:
When he first ran for the Congress, I had the opportunity to interact with his (and the other candidates’) staffs — we were trying to set up a campaign forum. At the time, Jackson’s staff was by far the most professional and competent of all the candidates.
Certainly not the case now.
- Anon - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:41 am:
Did the President really approve of giant billboard that says “Obama Approved”?
- Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:47 am:
Well, he does like attention. This will certainly invite more.
- carbaby - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 11:59 am:
Anon @ 11:41am- I thought the same thing when I saw the two of them across from each other on the Bishop Ford. But I think that speaks more to arrogance than ignorance. There’s nothing clean about being arrogant.
- Edison Parker - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:02 pm:
It’s neither sloppy nor arrogant. He’s probably smart enough to realize it doesn’t matter. The “ethics” investigations rarely result in expulsion. So he gets a censure in his file. Yawn. He’ll still get re-elected by his cronies.
Unless they get indicted, nothing ever comes of these and the politicians know it.
- Hank - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:08 pm:
Exactly EP.
What is there to learn? Nothing has happened to him. These investigations take years and are a joke
- Anon - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:17 pm:
@carbaby, The last thing Obama wants is his picture with JJJ in an election year couldn’t you just see the mailer now/ad…anyone on Pres campaign would be wise and issue a cease and desist, besides its a primary ususally no sides are taken by presidents.
- Shock & Awww(e) - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:18 pm:
New theory: Jr. is tired of D.C. and wants to come home but he’s scared to tell papa he’s quitting.
So he’s self-immolating instead.
It’s the only logical explanation, since it’s almost impossible to be so repeatedly reckless by accident. No?
I’ll get back to work on that theory.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:27 pm:
There was this from the House Ethics Committee:
–“There is probable cause to believe that Representative Jackson either (1) directed a third-party, most likely Mr. Raghuveer Nayak, to offer to raise money for Governor Blagojevich in exchange for appointing Representative Jackson to the Senate seat, or (2) had knowledge that Nayak would likely make such an offer once Representative Jackson authorized him to advocate on his behalf with Governor Blagojevich.–
If a U.S. Attorney doesn’t pursue that, you have to ask why not.
- Anon - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:32 pm:
@wordslinger, sounds like entrapment of blagojevich as far as senate seat, jjj made the first offer to buy seat and dont forget his wife was making 350k while “working on his campaign” big pay with donor money back into personal accounts.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:35 pm:
–sounds like entrapment of blagojevich as far as senate seat,–
Entrapment? You heard the Blago tapes, didn’t you?
- Anon - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:38 pm:
I did but JJJ in that instance approached them first, thats all i am saying…
- Shock & Awww(e) - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:48 pm:
One also wonders where else the investigation may have gone if the U.S. Attorney’s office had let Blago’s “golden” ticket play out in full.
What other names would have shown up on those wiretaps? Guess we’ll never know.
Unless Mr. Fitzgerald is still lurking in the wings, watching and waiting on some of these clowns.
We can only hope.
- Fed up - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:50 pm:
Wordslinger,
If a U.S. Attorney doesn’t pursue that, you have to ask why not.
Perhaps for the same reason as the US Attorney cut the investigation of Blago selling the senate seat short ,
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:40 pm:
Look, You have to give him this, J3 is consistent, while never ceasing to amaze us.
That … is a skill.
- Leave a Light on George - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:53 pm:
Everybody forgets that the Blago investigation was cut short because the Tribune published the fact that the G had bugged the former Gov’s office. Had that not happened who knows how many others would have be indicted too.
@ wordslinger probable cause does not equal proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Maybe Fitz knows he can’t reach that standard in a criminal trial.
- Bill - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:59 pm:
==Maybe Fitz knows he can’t reach that standard in a criminal trial.==
He doesn’t have to if he arranges to get Judge Zagel again.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:08 pm:
–One also wonders where else the investigation may have gone if the U.S. Attorney’s office had let Blago’s “golden” ticket play out in full.–
I think the feds were scared to death that someone other than Blago would say something really stupid on a wiretap and cause some real big problems.
The feds’ focus for years had been a methodical breakdown of Blago shakedowns in Illinois.
Now, you had a new scenario and it was moving quickly: Obama was president-elect; Blago had the power to appoint his Senate replacement and wanted a big payday; he talked it over a couple of times with the future Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel; Valerie Jarrett got mentioned, others got mentioned. There was a lot more activity than there had been and it was all going real fast.
So the feds pulled the plug before it spun into a situation over which they had no control and could have been a real mess if someone said something really stupid.
The Obama people had no business talking with Blago at all. They all knew the Justice Department was all over him. They were going to be heading the Justice Department in a couple of months. It was crazy to even entertain the notion of dealing with him.
Turns out, the president-elect and the future chief of staff had to sit down for two-hour-long FBI interviews, where the wrong answer can get you into a world of hurt.
The whole thing was too close to the president-elect for the U.S. Attorney to play it out. They had to pull the plug or risk it becoming something a lot bigger than Blago.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:36 pm:
Fed up and Wordslinger - oh, please. Not more of this right-wing blogosphere nonsense that Fitzgerald cut his investigation short so as not to embarrass the President-elect. There is zero proof for that. Occam’s razor — the Trib had blown their cover.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:26 pm:
==He doesn’t have to if he arranges to get Judge Zagel again.==
Get over it. Blago was as corrupt as can be as was guilty of far more than he was convicted of. Your worship of him has always stupified me.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:27 pm:
Sorry, that was me above
- Leave a Light on George - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:27 pm:
Word - When has Fitz ever dodged a controversial case?
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:38 pm:
@Adam Smith -
Offering an off-the-cuff factual response to a reporter? Fine.
Preparing and sending an e-mail hours later? Dubious.
Sending out an unsolicited campaign press release via government offices? Big no-no.
Hire some campaign staff, for Pete’s sake.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:38 pm:
Leave, that could have been a little more than controversial.
The point I was trying to make is that there was a potentially dangerous intersection between the president-elect and the Illinois governor who was known to be radioactive with the Justice Department.
Politics and the law can get a little muddy in the heat of the moment, especially when the federales are breathing on the phone.
Anyone Blago would have appointed would have been a 100% Obama supporter. There was no reason to talk with him unless you wanted someone, specifically.
- Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:14 pm:
I’m in JJJ’s district. I tried to be a good Democrat and volunteer for the campaign, but it’s just been… disillusioning.
I got a call from the campaign to come to a campaign meeting at the Congressman’s district office. I was a bit alarmed by this invite.
Turns out, I was getting invited to the campaign office. But apparently the person inviting me wasn’t up on the distinction between the “campaign office” and the “district office”.
JJJ has done an awful job campaigning (tons of robocalls from my “neighbor” and yardsigns on the public right-of-ways)… and my friend who lives in Sandi J’s ward campaigned for the aldermen and now can’t get a call returned on constituent service stuff.
The Jackson family needs to get their act together. They don’t do a very professional job on the basics.
And don’t get me started on JJJ’s claim that Metra trains will get from Downtown to Peotone in 25 minutes. Does he ride the Metra? Does this even sound remotely plausible?
- Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:16 pm:
When I worked in DC (2001-02), JJJ’s staff had a good reputation.
- Leave a Light on George - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:49 pm:
“When I worked in DC (2001-02), JJJ’s staff had a good reputation.”
That was then. This is now.
Everybody thought at first Blago was going to clean up the problems that sent Ryan and his cronies to prison.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 7:38 pm:
I made the observation during Rod’s reign of terror that Chicago produces quite a few folks whose attitude is that it doesn’t matter what people say or think, it only matters what they can prove in a court of law.
The first isn’t true when you move up to federal or statewide office - ask Rostenkowski. And the Fitz Factor has altered number two considerably.