* The Sun-Times has another scoop, and this could be a big one…
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say.
Details…
The first came from Rajinder Bedi, a state employee who acted as a conduit to the Indian community for Blagojevich, sources say. Bedi met with the governor’s brother, Robert, to tell him that a longtime fund-raiser and wealthy health care businessman, Raghuveer Nayak, would help organize fund-raising within the Indian community and that Jackson would raise money as well.
Then, at an Oct. 31 planning luncheon at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg, Nayak delivered a similar message to Robert Blagojevich, the Sun-Times has learned. Nayak allegedly identified himself to the Blagojevich camp as a representative of Jackson, sources say.
At some point, signals were crossed in communicating the dollar amounts, though, leaving Rod Blagojevich to believe, according to the criminal complaint against him, that he would be paid $1.5 million should he appoint Jackson to fill Obama’s seat.
But the offer was really supposed to be $5 million raised by Jackson, as well as up to $1 million from the Indian community, sources said.
Jackson has said he met with Nayak about the Senate seat, but has told the Sun-Times in the past: “I pray for him and I am confident I didn’t ask him to do anything that is suggested in the complaint that would violate the law.”
He’d better hope he didn’t.
* The Sun-Times also looks at a $40,000 realtor fee that Tony Rezko allegedly steered to Patti Blagojevich, even though Rezko wasn’t directly involved with the property. Here’s the timeline…
• • On Dec. 30, 2003, a company called 1101 W. Lake LLC — owned by developer Sean Conlon and two partners — sold two floors of the building for $1.36 million to a company called Lake & Aberdeen LLC.
• • Lake & Aberdeen was headed by Brian F. Hynes, a Chicago lawyer and lobbyist who had done legal work for Rezko.
• • Another Lake & Aberdeen owner was Kevin F. Flynn. At the time, Flynn was chief executive of Emerald Casino Inc., the company that had been seeking final state approval to build a casino in Rosemont.
• • Around the time of the alleged payment to Patti Blagojevich in January 2004, Rezko held an option to lease a hotel site in Rosemont that could have become a gold mine if a Rosemont casino was built.
• • Also around the time, Flynn’s company was at odds with state gambling regulators, who accused Emerald of having ties to organized crime that ultimately would help scotch Emerald’s casino plans.
So Flynn potentially stood to gain if the Illinois Gaming Board changed course and dropped its objections to Flynn’s company. And Rezko potentially stood to gain had a casino gone to Rosemont.
* Meanwhile…
Congressman Danny Davis lobbied for a Senate appointment last fall - before then-governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested for, among other things, allegedly trying to profit from that appointment.
Now Davis is mulling a run in next year’s election for Senate, and he compares the decision to a battle with nature.
DAVIS: You know, you may want the honey. But are you willing to walk into a bee hive to try and get it? [laughs]
I cannot believe that Davis would actually make this run. He’s also talking about possibly running for county board president, so maybe he is looking at moving on, or maybe he’s just musing. Thoughts?
* Related…
* Congressional panel lacks teeth in ethics probe
* Illinois GOP: Chairman says 2006 gubernatorial primary ‘was not constructive’
* 2010 GOP slate in the making?
* Davis Urges Burris to ‘Hurry Up’ and Announce 2010 Plans