For 20 months Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. had been swimming beneath the surface of a distant lake, trying to escape the stink of the Blagojevich mess even though he hasn’t been charged with any crime. But Senate Candidate 5 longs to become Mayoral Candidate 1, and so last Friday he finally poked his head out of the water, appearing as a guest on WLS AM’s Don Wade & Roma talk show. Then he waited to see if another shoe would drop.
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The timing of these revelations is unfortunate—and not just for Jackson’s mayoral hopes. They also distract from an unusual alibi the congressman employed on the radio to the central accusation against him.
By way of background: Certain Indian-American businessmen wanted Jackson to get the Senate seat, and according to Blago’s prosecutors promised to raise vast sums for the governor to make it so. That’s not a problem for Jackson so long as he had no knowledge of the scheme. But during a sidebar in Blago’s first trial, the prosecutors said evidence suggested he did. They pointed to a meeting at an Italian restaurant across the street from City Hall on October 28, 2008. Two businessmen were present, as was Jackson. The prosecutors contend that Jackson made clear his interest in the Senate appointment, and that the businessmen—veteran political fund-raisers, one of them a longtime friend of the Jackson family—voiced their willingness to raise a million dollars for the governor if he agreed to anoint Jackson.
It certainly conjures a rude scene: Jackson’s dining companions suddenly lurching into another language, leaving him poking sheepishly at his shrimp-and-ricotta gnocchi. But there are perfectly good reasons they might have done it. Maybe they intended the Senate seat to be a birthday present for Jackson and they didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
Metas pamineti saldiklis? (Lithuanian: “Time to mention the sweetener?”)
Isa tepa rikordara asuvidhajanaka hai. (Hindi: “This wire is uncomfortable.”)
