ABC News is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., is the anonymous "Senate Candidate Five." Excerpt:
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.The politician says he is not a target of the Blagojevich investigation.
According to the FBI affidavit in the case, Blagojevich "stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided Rod Blagojevich" with something "tangible up front."
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." [...]
The congressman, a son of the famed civil rights leader, denied that anyone had been authorized to make payments or promises to the governor on his behalf.
"It is impossible for someone on my behalf to have a conversation that would suggest any type of quid pro quo or any payments or offers," Jackson told ABC News. "An impossibility to an absolute certainty." [...]
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."
This ugly mess is going to take quite a while to untangle; meanwhile, so far, Governor Blagojevich has refused to resign, despite the fact that President-elect Obama has added to the growing chorus of voices urging the Illinois governor to do so.
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meanwhile, so far, Governor Blagojevich has refused to resign, despite the fact that President-elect Obama has added to the growing chorus of voices urging the Illinois governor to do so.
What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? :^)
Oh, no argument here, EricW. But I do have to consider whether Obama's statement, in its focus on Blagojevich's ability to govern effectively while facing the distractions of these criminal charges, isn't taking the right approach.
Well, there's innocent until proven guilty, of course.
Of course, the second that you're heard on tape talking about how much your appointment is worth, I think you might have just been proven guilty.
Maybe Blagovich has a wide stance when he's speaking. I.e., he says much that he doesn't mean.
correction: Blagojevich
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