Jesse Jackson Jr. is Candidate #5
Politics Daily — Filed under: Democrats, Breaking News, ScandalABC has the scoop on the first aspirant for Barack Obama's Senate Seat to get scrutiny in the Blagojevich scandal: Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill. is the annonymous "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. Oh, boy. Here we go.   Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Senate Candidate 5 Could Be Getting Nervous About Now
Taylor Marsh — BY TAYLOR MARSH --updated-- The picture of Gov. Blogojevich that is playing in my head is the one where he stands in front of the closed plant in Chicago arrogantly daring anyone to tape him. The bravado is close to crazy. What parallel universe is this guy’s brain drawing from? Well, reading into the complaint filed against him you find out that he’s got company. Close to the end of the complaint against Blogo, something very interesting develops around Senate Candidate 5, whoever he or she might be. It’s not good. Washington Post "Voices" speculates on the Senate candidates, including that ...

Oh Gee We're All Shocked... Jesse Jackson Jr. Is "Senate Candidate No. 5"
Gateway Pundit — We're all shocked with this news, right? If there's a massive shakedown... And, it's in Chicago... And, it involves democrats... Then it was only a matter of time before a Jesse Jackson popped up. Jesse Jackson Jr. is the notorious "Senate Candidate No. 5." He says he will cooperate: ABC News reported: 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 ...

Number Five, According to To ABC News
The Atlantic Politics Channel — It's Jesse Jackson, Jr., according to Brian Ross's sources.  The U.S. Attorney's office really didn't go out of their way to hide #5's identity -- why include the bit about Blago meeting with this person within the past few days if they wanted to preserve his/her identity -- and this morning, Jackson says he was contacted by federal prosecutors.

Jackson is Senate Candidate 5
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire — Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous Senate Candidate 5 "whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate," federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News. Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted yesterday by federal prosecutors in Chicago who he said "asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process." However, Jackson claims he is not a target of the investigation.

Matt Lewis: Jesse Jackson Jr. in Hot Water?
Townhall.com Blog's TownHall Blog — From ABC News : Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous "Senate Candidate #5" whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News 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."

ABC: Jackson is 'Candidate 5'
Ben Smith's Blog — ABC News has a law enforcement source telling them that Jesse Jackson, Jr. is "Senate Candidate Five," the one who was -- according to Blagojevich -- willing to supply campaign cash in exchange for the Senate seat. (This, incidentally, doesn't strike me as all that unusual in politics, or as obviously criminal as other things in the complaint -- though the crudeness with which Blagojevich discussed it was.) ABC reports: Jackson Jr. said "I don't know" when asked if he was Candidate #5, but said he was told "I am not a target of this investigation." Jackson Jr. said he agreed to talk with federal ...

Is "Senate Candidate 5" Jesse Jackson's son?
Power Line — Last night, I reported on speculation about the identity of "Senate Candidate 5" of whom Gov. Blagojevich said he might be able to cut a deal that would provide him (Blago) something "tangible up front." That something, according to Blagojevich's taped comments, was $1 million. The speculation focused on two African-American politicians, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Illinois State Senate leader Emil Jones, with Jones perhaps the more likely according to some. Now, ABC News is reporting that sources point to Rep. Jackson as the real Senate Candidate 5. Jackson himself says that federal investigators have asked him to "come in and ...

I Learned It From Watching You, Dad!
Hit & Run — According to ABC News political correspondent Brian Ross, "Senate Candidate #5," the unnamed public official who, according to wiretaps of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would fork over a cool million dollars to be named successor to President-elect Obama in the Senate, is Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. 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 Jr. said this morning he was contacted yesterday by federal prosecutors in Chicago who he said "asked me to come in and share ...

ABC News: Jackson, Jr. is Candidate 5 in Blagojevich Complaint
TalkLeft — Brian Ross of ABC News reports law enforcement sources have told him Jesse Jackson, Jr. is Senate Candidate # 5 in the Rod Blagojevich complaint. Candidate 5 is significant to the story because the complaint alleges Blagojevich was taped saying #5's emissaries were willing to pay to play for the Senate Seat. What does Jackson, Jr. say? According to ABC, Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted yesterday by federal prosecutors in Chicago who he said "asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process." Jackson Jr. said "I don't know" when ...

Why Did FBI, U.S. Government Protect Candidate #5, Jesse Jackson, Jr. in Blagojevich Scandal?
Debbie Schlussel — By Debbie Schlussel ABC News is reporting that Candidate #5, in the indictment of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, is Son of Jesse a/k/a Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. As I've repeatedly written on this site, Jesse, Jr. was likely to get the seat, though I didn't know it was because he agreed to pay to play. I'm not surprised though. 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 Jr. said this morning ...

ABC Pegs Jackson as Senate Candidate 5
ArchPundit — Not surprising, but let’s see if it is confirmed. The discussion was disturbing on Rod’s end, but we don’t know of how the discussion took place with the Jackson camp so we have no idea if they in fact proposed pay to play or just made the usual horse trading sort of wink and nod.  Either way, Jackson, while safe in his seat, won’t be a viable candidate for a special election. ...

Not Good For JJ, Jr.
Talking Points Memo — ABC is reporting that Jesse Jackson, Jr. is 'senate candidate #5'. Wiretaps suggest that Blagojevich believed that emissaries of Jackson had offered up to a million dollars to appoint him to serve in the senate. It's important to note that this is unnamed 'emissaries' who Blagojevich told others had made offers to him. So there's a lot of wiggle room for misunderstandings, lying (mainly Blagojevich) and people freelancing, doing or saying things Jackson knew nothing about. But there's no getting around the fact that this puts Jackson right in the middle of this mess, whether or not it turns out to be because of anything of his own ...

The Chicago Candidate
small dead animals — The Chicago Candidate ABC News; Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous "Senate Candidate #5" whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News. Posted by Kate at December 10, 2008 11:42 AM

Senate Candidate # 5
The Corner on National Review Online — [image] [image] NRO BLOG ROW | THE CORNER | ARCHIVES SEARCH E-MAIL PRINT RSS [image] [image] Wednesday, December 10, 2008 [image] Senate Candidate # 5 [ Kathryn Jean Lopez ] ABC points to Jackson. 12/10 11:45 AM [image] [image] [image] © National Review Online 2008. All Rights Reserved. Home | Search | NR / Digital | Donate | Media Kit | Contact Us

Report: Rep. Jessie Jackson Jr. (A DEMOCRAT) Is "Senate Candidate #5"
Ace of Spades HQ — Report: Rep. Jessie Jackson Jr. (A DEMOCRAT) Is "Senate Candidate #5" And what did "Candidate #5" offer to raise for Blagojevich if he got Obama's old Senate seat? A cool one milllllllion dollars! Senate Candidate #5" played a key role in the Governor's efforts to obtain something of value in exchange for the Senate appointment, according to the FBI affidavit. According to the affidavit, Blagojevich threatened to appoint Senate Candidate #5 if President-elect Barack Obama refused to help get his wife on "paid corporate boards right now." "If they feel like they can do this and not f***ing give me anything…then I'll f***ing go [Senate Candidate 5}." ...

Senate Candidate #5
The Corner on National Review Online — [image] [image] NRO BLOG ROW | THE CORNER | ARCHIVES SEARCH E-MAIL PRINT RSS [image] [image] Wednesday, December 10, 2008 [image] Senate Candidate #5 [ Yuval Levin ] ABC is reporting that Jesse Jackson Jr. was "Senate Candidate #5" in the Illinois scandal complaint the one who was willing to raise half a million dollars for the job. 12/10 11:48 AM [image] [image] [image] © National Review Online 2008. All Rights Reserved. Home | Search | NR / Digital | Donate | Media Kit | Contact Us ...

Report: Jackson Jr. Is Candidate Five
TPMMuckraker — ABC News is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson is "Senate Candidate 5". The report is attributed to "federal law enforcement sources." The charging documents in the Rod Blagojevich case quote the governor telling an aide that an "emissary" from Candidate 5 contacted him and proposed a "pay to play" arrangement in regard to the US Senate seat left open by Barack Obama, which Blagojevich has the authority to fill. The governor also says he thinks he might be able to get something "tangible, up front" from Candidate 5 in return for the appointment. Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted by federal prosecutors who "asked me ...

Pressure Mounts On Blagojavich To Resign
A Blog For All — Pressure is mounting on Illinois Governor Rod Blagojavich to step down. Well, it's the least he can do right now to spare Illinois of a real mess as the state heads into legislative session and has to deal with a faltering economy. Since current law gives Blagojavich the right to select Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate, the legislature will have to act swiftly to strip the governor of that right and to call for a special election in its stead. That raises a question as to whether Blagojavich would veto such a bill, but I can't see him taking any actions at this point since he's pretty much secured himself a long term stay in Club Fed. The ...

Jesse Jackson, Jr. is “Candidate #5″
PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Via ABC News: Sources Say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is ‘Senate Candidate #5′ Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5″ whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News. There was much speculation yesterday that Jackson was Candidate #5. Not only may this spell serious trouble for Jackson, it is politically interesting insofar as according to the transcripts of the Blagojevich wiretaps, Obama did not want Candidate #5 ...

Breaking News: U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Is 'Senate Candidate No. 5,' Law Enforcement Sources Tell
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News — Source: ABC Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous "Senate Candidate #5" whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars 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 Jr. said this morning he was contacted yesterday by federal prosecutors in Chicago who he said "asked me to come in and ...

A little chat
Maggie's Farm — ... Feds want a little friendly conversation with Jesse Jackson Jr. Those little chats with the Feds rarely end up well for the chatee, because they are full of traps and snares - and they have a terrifying power to destroy you. Watch out for when they ask "Would you like some coffee?" ...

ABC: Jesse Jackson Jr. is Senate Candidate # 5
Weekly Standard Blog — Brian Ross reports: 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.

Shots from the Show 12/10
Tammy Bruce — **This post will be updated throughout the show** Sources Say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Is 'Senate Candidate No. 5' Here's ABC's segment regarding the unused McCain ad focusing on Jeremiah "G-Damn America" Wright. One ABC talking head actually praises McCain for not running the spot. Yeah, because McCain's bizarre reticence gave Obama the White House. The McCain team is still essentially apologizing for even considering dealing with the character issue. No wonder the man lost. Dianne "Corelone" Feinstein and Bob Bennett don't ...

Candidate No. 5
Patterico's Pontifications — [Guest post by DRJ] ABC News reports that Jesse Jackson, Jr., is the unnamed Candidate No. 5 whose surrogates offered Gov. Blagojevich up to $1M to be appointed to Obama’s Senate seat. The report also said Jackson doesn’t know if he is Candidate No. 5 but he will agree to an FBI interview after meeting with his attorney. He indicated he is not a target of the investigation. On Monday, Jackson met with Blagojevich for 90 minutes as part of a “highly visible campaign” in which he “touted his credentials” to succeed Obama as Senator. Afterward Jackson expressed confidence in the process the ...

Number Five is alive
Megan McArdle — My guess seems to be vindicated:  Candidate Number 5 is allegedly Jesse Jackson, Jr.  This was not based on any personal animus towards JJjr, but rather my estimate of who was most likely able to lay their hands on the $500,000. 

Jesse Jackson Jr. Said to Be Senate Candidate #5
Tennessee Guerilla Women — ABC News is reporting that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stood to rake in up to $1 million if he put candidate #5 -- who is apparently Jesse Jackson Jr. -- into Obama's senate seat. Jackson says he's innocent, and it's "impossible" that someone speaking on his behalf would offer the Illinois Governor a bribe: "An impossibility to an absolute certainty." Impossible it may be, but the FBI wants to interview Jackson. I could cry for Jesse, but he'd only make fun of me, so I think I'll cackle instead. Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is the ...

Blagojevich Scandal: Jesse Jackson Jr. Outed as Senate Candidate 5
Firedoglake — US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been identified as the party labeled “Senate Candidate Five” in yesterday’s affidavit against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Chicago Sun Times, among others, reports: ...

Will Having the Name “Jesse Jackson” Associated with Blagojevich…
Firedoglake — . . . further inflame those nutters trying to tie Obama to Blago, or will it give them a favorite lefty dynasty to devour and in so doing stave their hunger for a scandal larger than it is? Because Jesse Jackson Jr. sure looks like he's the Candidate 5 whom Blago claimed was trying to bribe him for a half million dollars (h/t Prof Foland and twolf). ...

ABC News: Jesse Jackson Jr. Offered to Pay for Obama's Senate Seat
Little Green Footballs — ABC News is reporting that the person who offered Illinois Governor Blagojevich up to $1 million for Barack Obama’s Senate seat is Jesse Jackson Jr. 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. 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.” ...

Person Who Offered Blagojevich $1,000,000 For Senate Seat Was Apparently Jesse Jackson Jr.
Say Anything — Yikes... 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. 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 ...

Jackson Jr. to Respond at 4:15
News — Jackson Jr. to Respond at 4:15 Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) will hold a news conference at 4:15 p.m. to respond to reports that he's the Senate candidate with emissaries willing to deal with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). Jackson told ABC News on Wednesday that it's an "impossibility" that anyone affiliated with him talked about providing money to Blagojevich in exchange for the appointment of Jackson to Illinois's vacant U.S. Senate seat. The network has reported that Jackson is indeed the candidate referred to in a criminal complaint who allegedly has an emissary who spoke to Blagojevich about a deal for the seat. Blagojevich and his ...

Wednesday's Mini-Report
Political Animal — WEDNESDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits: * It was a relatively quiet day on Wall Street, with all of the major indexes showing modest gains . * The short-term rescue package for the auto industry may get a House vote as early as tonight . The package's future is in doubt, however, in light of a likely Republican filibuster in the Senate. * Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr . (D-Ill.) is, as was rumored yesterday, the person identified in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich as "Senate Candidate No. 5." He will speak with federal investigators fairly soon. * Jackson insists he did nothing wrong , and assumed ...

keep bribes alive
skippy the bush kangaroo — via buzzflash, we learn from abc news that jesse jackson jr. is "candidate no. 5," with whom ill. guv rod blogojevich was bargaining to sell obama's vacant senatorial seat: chicago rep. jesse jackson jr., d-ill., is the anonymous "senate candidate no. 5" whose emissaries illinois gov. rod blagojevich reportedly offered up ...

Something About Rod
Rhymes With Right — By now so much has been said about the Blagojevich indictment and the sleazy deeds that led to the charges that there is little left to say. What I will note is that the alleged misdeeds are even shocking to me, who cut his teeth on Illinois politics before moving to Texas. The 76-page criminal complaint reveals a governor who no longer wanted his job and badly wanted cash – and quickly realized that the chance to name Obama’s successor was the answer to both of those problems. He and his aides spoke in expansive – and often profane – terms of replacing Obama as a naked act of political horse-trading, something to be maximized for as much personal gain ...

The Daily Grind
Weekly Standard Blog — Obama mob flagging questions about Blagojevich as inappropriate on Obama's "open questions" section of the Change.gov. That Chicago TV station that reported Obama met with Blagojevich is revising and pulling its stories on the meeting. Dear Big Three: Bankruptcy doesn't make assets disappear. House approves bailout for Big Three. What else is in the bailout bill? Senate Candidate #5 Jesse Jackson Jr. says he didn't authorize anyone to offer a bunch of cash to Blagojevich for a Senate seat. Depends on what the meaning of "no contact" is. ...