Forgive the looong post but I’m trying to dope out whether the Illinois pol Patrick Fitzgerald calls “Senate Candidate 5″ — who could be in the path of heavy Blagojevich fallout and seems not to be a particular favorite of Team Obama’s — is Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
From the complaint affidavit:
Later on November 10, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Advisor A discussed the open Senate seat. … ROD BLAGOJEVICH states that he will appoint “[Senate Candidate 1] … but if they feel like they can do this and not fucking give me anything … then I’ll fucking go [Senate Candidate 5].” (Senate Candidate 5 is publicly reported to be interested in the open Senate seat). …
Later on November 10, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Advisor A again discussed the open Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Advisor A discussed leaking to the same particular Chicago Sun-Times columnist that ROD BLAGOJEVICH is seriously considering Senate Candidate 5 for the open Senate seat, in order to send a message to the President-elect that there are options for the Senate seat beyond Senate Candidate 1. …
“SC 1″ seems to be Valerie Jarrett, of whom Chicago Business‘s Greg Hinz blogged back in November, “If I read the smoke correctly, Ms. Jarrett backed out of the Senate derby at least in part because G-Rod overplayed his hand, insisting that Mr. Obama more or less publicly request the favor of a Jarrett appointment. Mr. Obama, who’s not about to seek favors from a governor who is under investigation in a federal corruption probe, ended the boomlet.” But such mere lip-service wouldn’t have sufficed anyhow. Again from the complaint:
On December 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke to Advisor B and informed Advisor B that he was giving Senate Candidate 5 greater consideration for the Senate seat because, among other reasons, if ROD BLAGOJEVICH ran for re-election Senate Candidate 5 would “raise money” for ROD BLAGOJEVICH, although ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he might “get some (money) up front, maybe” from Senate Candidate 5 to insure Senate Candidate 5 kept his promise about raising money for ROD BLAGOJEVICH. (In a recorded conversation on October 31, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH described an earlier approach by an associate of Senate Candidate Five as follows: “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.”) …
Later on December 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke to Fundraiser A. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated he was “elevating” Senate Candidate 5 on the list of candidates for the open Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided ROD BLAGOJEVICH with something “tangible up front.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH noted he was going to meet with Senate Candidate 5 in the next few days. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to reach out to Individual D, an individual who ROD BLAGOJEVICH is attempting to obtain campaign contributions from and who, based on intercepted phone calls, ROD BLAGOJEVICH believes to be close to Senate Candidate 5. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that Senate Candidate 5 was very much a realistic candidate for the open Senate seat, but that ROD BLAGOJEVICH was getting “a lot of pressure” not to appoint Senate Candidate 5. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that ROD BLAGOJEVICH had a problem with Senate Candidate 5 just promising to help ROD BLAGOJEVICH because ROD BLAGOJEVICH had a prior bad experience with Senate Candidate 5 not keeping his word. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Fundraiser A to tell Individual D that if Senate Candidate 5 is going to be chosen to fill the Senate seat “some of this stuff’s gotta start happening now . . .right now. . . and we gotta see it. You understand?”
“Based on intercepted phone calls”? Huh? Meaning that Blagojevich had these guys wiretapped? I’ve seen no one else comment on that and can’t decide which way to read it myself, but in any case, the passage rather suggests that SC 5, or at least his “emissary,” evinced a willingness to pay-for-play, doesn’t it? And as the ChiTrib reports, the only Senator-wannabe Blagojevich met with after December 4 was Jesse Jackson, Jr., “the most aggressive in promoting himself as a contender for the Senate seat.”
As recently as Monday, Jackson met with Blagojevich to discuss the Senate post. Last week, Jackson told the Tribune that he had recently reached out to Blagojevich confidant John Wyma as well as the governor’s patronage chief, Victor Roberson, to discuss the Senate job. The Tribune reported last week that Wyma has been cooperating with the federal corruption probe of Blagojevich.
Jackson did not respond to requests for an interview Tuesday, and his spokesman did not directly address questions about whether the congressman offered to raise campaign money for Blagojevich in exchange for appointment to the Senate seat. His office, however, did release a statement in which he denied any wrongdoing and vowed to aid the federal probe.
To the New York Times Jackson said only, “If these allegations are proved true, I am outraged by the appalling, pay-to-play schemes hatched at the highest levels of our state government.” NYT reports that he “met with Mr. Blagojevich, whom he is not known to be close to, for 90 minutes on Monday afternoon to discuss the post.” ChiTrib’s writeup of that meeting includes this interesting passage:
Jackson has mounted the most highly visible campaign among several people who are being considered for the Senate post. He said the meeting with Blagojevich amounted to a “very productive conversation, very thoughtful” that covered a broad range of issues.
“I am convinced that the governor has a very thoughtful process that he has put in place and is wrestling and weighing a number of issues in this enormous decision that he has to make,” Jackson said. “Today, I leave confident that the governor has put in place processes and that his interview process for this position is thoughtful.”
Oh, by all means, thoughtful. Just like TPM commenter satya:
It’s almost certainly Jackson Jr. This line gives it away:
Senate Candidate 5 was very much a realistic candidate for the open Senate seat, but that ROD BLAGOJEVICH was getting “a lot of pressure” not to appoint Senate Candidate 5
The media speculation about this appointment has been almost totally focused on Jackson Jr, not Emil Brown [sic] or anyone else. If there is pressure against Blago nominating Candidate 5, it’s gotta be him, there just wasn’t enough speculation about any other candidate to generate resistance.
If it is true that it’s Jackson Jr, it’s the end for him.
Was “the other guy” who “would raise a million” Jesse Jackson, Sr.? Recall what Dr X told us here. See also his Monday post, hinting that the Jacksons have in mind replacing the Daleys as Illinois’ great political dynasty and betting
on a Senator Jesse Jackson come January ’09.
And going way, way out on a limb here, Junior’s wife, Chicago Alder-person Sandi Jackson, will run for her husband’s congressional seat in a special election and she will win. Sandi’s ultimate ambition is to replace mayor-for-life Rich Daley after he is incapacitated or dies. A congressional seat would make a good way station for building her brand and forging loyalties.
Or, as the case may now be, not.
I was just watching morning news here on WMAQ (the NBC owned station). They are also reporting that Jackson Jr met with Blago on Monday to push his candidacy and their sources are telling them that Jackson is #5. I’m wondering if the deal was sealed at that Monday meeting between Blago and Jr.
Fitzgerald had Blago’s office bugged and his phones tapped, so prosecutors may have known if a deal had been reached at that meeting. Was the timing of the Tuesday morning arrest intended to prevent the imminent announcement of Jackson’s appointment? Jackson’s people, so far, deny knowing anything about any of this.
Other news: Lisa Madigan says she has the power under the state constitution to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to remove Blagojevich. If the legislature doesn’t impeach, she says she will have Blago removed from office.
So the Jacksons want to be GOBs. Who’da thunk it.
Great update, Dr X — thanks!
If you’re right about a deal reached Monday afternoon, it sure would explain the 6 AM arrest — they couldn’t let him get to the office yesterday. But lordy, if that’s what they do have, JJJr IS thoroughly cooked.
One more piece of news: Before they do anything else, Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Madigan are putting a deal together to quickly take away Blago’s power to appointment a new senator. Apparently, Blago’s authority arises from state law rather than the constitution, so legislators can rewrite the law quickly. They are proposing a hastily scheduled special election to let Illinois citizens choose an Obama replacement.
It will be interesting, because that would change everything. Jones, Gutierriez, Davis and Jackson would have no chance. I don’t know who would be viable and who could raise the money to jump into a race on short notice. Schakowsky, Duckworth, Dan Hynes and Alexi Giannoulias are possibilities.
Fascinating, Dr X. I’ve developed great respect for Schakowsky and Duckworth but don’t know the others.
A 60-day campaign or something? Still no GOPers on the horizon?
1) Those newspaper articles are designed to produce the inexorable conclusion in the reader “SC5=Jackson, Jr.” They’re how a newspaper says something they know without actually having confirmed in a concrete way. It’s Jackson, Jr., I’d bet.
2) State legislatures establish the details about Senate selection within moderately broad federal parameters– thus the odd run-off we just saw in Georgia, and the debate about timing and ballot placement on the Miss. special senate election (which was all in terms of state law). So they set how to select the replacement. I’m pretty sure they can’t do it as a one-off thing (I don’t understand the prohibition against bills of attainder or whether that would apply to the states).
3) I know the “based upon intercepted phone calls” phrase is ambiguous, but it seems clear to me that they mean to say “We allege, based on intercepted phone calls, that RB believed…”
4) It sounds like RB is saying SC5 was giving open ended promises of help and RB wanted an explicit quid pro quo. What it doesn’t say is how explicit SC5′s open ended promises were, other than not explicit enough for RB. Legally explicit enough (for legal trouble for SC5)? Can’t say from the excerpt, although it’s probably not on tape or we’d be reading about it. Regardless, any SC with great good sense would have not even gone that far into a conversation like that. He’s probably toast enough to end his senate ambitions but (Dr X can correct me here) pretty safe in his congress seat unless actually indicted.
GOP? Well, now would be the time, wouldn’t it? But I don’t see a strong Republican out there. George Ryan devastated the state party.
Maybe millionaire dairyman Jim Oberweis who lost three self-funded congressional races. Or Marty Ozinga who just lost a race to Senate Majority leader Debbie Halvorson. Just check out the Republican who lost to Blago. I would say she was looking really good in that clip. No sarcasm intended. She was an awful candidate.
TPM’s Zachary Roth wrote that it seemed to be Jr. yesterday.
Dr X @ 9: Oy. Nope, still no GOPers on the horizon.
Meanwhile back at the FBI, next up: Norm Coleman.
The link in 12 produces a very odd 404 when I click it, Lotus
The Politico blog speculates there are signs that points to Emil Jones. Noting that there was an agreement to leak SC5′s name to the Sun-Times on November 10, Politico notes an SC column by Micheal Sneed that including this:
“‘Sneed hears Gov. Blago, who will choose Obama’s replacement in the U.S. Senate, privately feels there may be only one choice that makes sense: His buddy, outgoing Senate President Emil Jones.’
“That isn’t exactly what they discussed leaking, and the complaint doesn’t say whether or not the call was even made, but it’s the only Sneed item on the subject that week.
“One other tidbit: Jackson isn’t particularly known as a fundraising specialist, but Jones, Miller notes, has money in his State Senate account that could be transferred to Blagojevich.”
So, with credit to Blagojevich is Louisiana now the 2nd most corrupt state?
Weird, NMC 13 — works for me. Here’s where it takes me:
http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_11180391?nclick_check=1
This is ridiculous, of course it is not JJJ. This article picks clips to make a particular point and ignores others.
1. Why would Obama be against JJJ? The man was a national co-chair, a surrogate on the campaign, and up for a cabinet seat except that he preferred to go for the Senate seat.
2. Anyone who thinks that his wife wants to be mayor is out of their mind. She does not speak out on most city issues, she is making absolutely zero plays for power, she is non-existent on the Chicago political scene.
3. If you were in Chicago the main pressure from people has been to not appoint Emil Jones. People figured that Emil would be a place holder and black radio, Bobby Rush, the coalittion of Black preachers and others have come out against this idea of a 73 year old place holder.
4. Why pay for a seat that every poll says you can win? I mean if you ever look at what JJJ does politically, everything is based on polls. The last thing he does is gets in bed with someone who has 13% approval rating.
5. Finally if you match up news articles, after they floated the idea that SC 5 was in consideration the article that came out in Sneed was about Emil. In Dec. after the so called pay to play scheme was settled on, Emil publicly acknowledged his interests and leaks were confirming that Emil was the choice. Emil had backed out on the Governor when it came to blocking certain votes so there was the distrust issue. Finally Emil had also yet to have his “official” mtg based on interest.
JJJ may seem sexy to you, but it really doesn’t fit.
Link at 12 and 16 does not work for me either.
Ron Zook’s in Illinois now, isn’t he? Appoint him senatuh. He could do that and still have plenty of time to coach his football team … doesn’t take much in the Big 10.
Emil Jones is as likely as JJJr.
TPM says Blagojevich is a former prosecutor!
Try this one:
http://www.twincities.com/ci_11180391
NMC,
Interesting about gossip columnist Michael Sneed. It does look like she was being used by Blagojevich to send a message to Obama’s people. In a November 6 conversation, Blago and Spokesperson planned a leak to Sneed naming Number 2 (Lisa Madigan) as a strong contender. Prosecutors confirm that a subsequent Sneed column naming Madigan used wording similar to the proposed leak.
And, on November 10, they planned another leak pertaining to #5. Indeed, the only name that came up in Sneed’s column that week named Jones. True, the prosecutors didn’t confirm this as the planted item as they did with the Madigan item. But where else would Sneed have gotten this?
See Scott Turow in NYT, including this:
Now Brian Ross/ABC is going with “It’s JJJr.”
Good link, Lotus #22, thanx
For our “Asked and Answered” file: I can’t link the original because it’s on Nexis, but Greg Sargent notes that Obama told the Trib’s ed board as far back as June that he’d keep Fitzgerald as USA, saying, “I still think he’s doing a good job. Yes. I think he has been aggressive in putting the city on notice and the state on notice that he takes issues of public corruption seriously.”
I was about willing to bet he kept the job.
The prohibition on attainder applies to the States, but would not apply to legislation to revoke the power in Blagojevich to appoint a replacement Senator.
The Constitution (17th Amendment) provides that upon the occurence of a vacancy for a Senate seat, “the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies” so election is the Constitutional norm for . IL has to have a special election for Rahm’s seat once he steps down, so the smart thing budgetarily would be to set them up to run together.
Back to the 17th, a State legislature, “may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct” which is what IL does – they allow the Gov to appoint to fill in until the next election, but I don’t see any reason why they can’t revoke that and return to the Constitutional norm. Even if they delegate back later and it ends up being a one timer.
I was wondering if a one-off revocation would have constitutional problems.