CHICAGO (AP) — A fundraiser held by Indian-American businessmen three days before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges emerged Friday as a potentially key event in the federal investigation into whether he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.
Questions are being raised about last Saturday's event for Blagojevich because Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s brother, Jonathan, was among those attending. The Indian community has a long history of supporting the Jackson family's political aspirations, and the congressman has been clear about his interest in succeeding Obama.
Rep. Jackson, however, flatly denied that he or his brother were involved in a scheme for Blagojevich to peddle the Senate seat in return for up to $1.5 million in political contributions.
The congressman also said neither his brother nor his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, served as any kind of emissary for discussions with the governor.
"Clearly, a scheme had been hatched in the mind of the governor," Jackson said.
The Chicago Tribune reported Friday that some of the businessmen who gathered at the Dec. 6 fundraiser discussed the prospect of raising at least $1 million for the governor in return for Jackson getting the Senate seat.
Iftekhar Shareef, former president of the Federation of Indian Associations and a prominent businessman, said he attended the fundraiser and sat at the same table as the governor, Jonathan Jackson and at least two prominent Indian businessmen.
Nobody discussed the Senate seat at the table, Shareef said.
"Honestly, I never saw if there was any talk about Jesse Jr.'s Senate seat or anything," Shareef said. "Who knows? It might be among themselves."
Read on.
Also this:
Chicago Tribune:Emanuel talked with governor's office about who should fill Obama's Senate seat
Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama's pick to be White House chief of staff, had conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration about who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate, the Tribune has learned.
The revelation does not suggest Obama's new gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat.
But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat?
3 comments:
Now Bush talked to Govenors about replacement of those Senators who passed away. Now I guess Obama isn't allowed. G-Rod learned from his Father-in-Law the old school politics that all these Law Makers are using. Look at the excellent game being played with the Auto Bill which the Judges salaries was slipped in. The game is to give Bush a Legacy since he has none. Yes riding on his White Horse to save the Workers is King George W.. the man of the people. This is the only thing he's done for the people in 8 years, to save the Workers he gave 10 billion of taxpayers money to the Auto Industry while giving his friends/Saudi's and Chinese group trillions.
Big Fat Hairy Deal if Rahn talked about the Senate seat, so What? He talked, not bribed, schemed etc. And if Obama just talked so what, talk is talk, bribes and schemes are something else.
When all the CEOs make all the money and get all the bonuses at obscene amounts and nothing trickles down to all the employees, you have very few with sp very much money and how much do so few need, how many houses can they live in? how many cars they drive?
If the money the CEOs made was something less than obscene, and the workers benefited for their hard work and were paid as such there would have been more people buying things, more people buying things would have kept the companies that manufactured these things (and the stores, the transportaion, truckers, train etc) in business.
Emanuel, Jackson Jr. and the rest of the Senate candidates mentioned in the criminla complaint were simply pawns used by the Governpr for his own political and financial agenda. It is too bad and sad that media would sensationize Blago probe. Illinois had their problems before, during, and after Blago got in office. This is not a shock that the state has corruption. It just that the media chose not to report the corruption and financial problems. Blago is not the only official that is corrupted in this entire country.
The media is only focus on this issue because of Obama being the next President-elect and that is his home state. You hear nothing from the media on how much corruption in the Bush Administration for the past 8 years. Yet, they want to criticize Obama when Blago's probe is still an ongoing investigation.
We look forward to the transparency from Obama in the next couple of days on contacts from his staff and himself in the Blago probe. Then, the media should move on to other important issues that are affecting this country.
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