Posted on 12/12/2008 6:11:12 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Report: Jackson Backers Sought Cash For Obama Post CHICAGO (CBS) ― Businessmen with ties to both Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to help persuade him to appoint Jackson to President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, according to a published report.
Citing unnamed sources, the Chicago Tribune reports in a story for Friday's editions that businessman Raghuveer Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi told attendees at an Oct. 31 meeting that they needed to raise the money for the governor to ensure Jackson's appointment.
"Raghu said he needed to raise a million for Rod to make sure Jesse got the seat," an unidentified source who attended the meeting told the Tribune. Blagojevich also attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Nayak, an Oak Brook businessman.
A message left at a listing for Raghuveer Nayak in Oak Brook was not immediately returned early Friday. No published listing for Bedi could be found.
Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on federal corruption charges that allege, among other things, a brazen scheme to put Obama's vacant Senate seat up for sale.
(Excerpt) Read more at wcbstv.com ...
The whole rotten Chicago pack is in DEEP shizzle.
Saying is not the same thing as doing, so there has been no crime. According to Geraldo and Carvel this morning.
Wow, Oak Brook eh? One of the more chi-chi far western suburbs of Chi town. There is quite a bit of money there, that’s for sure.
EVEN THE HINDU’S HAVE A MAFIA!
It’s getting better.
Soon we will have “Oath Fraud”
Hmmmmm. Businessmen with ties to both Blagojevich and Triple J discuss pay-to-play on Triple J’s behalf with Blago in attendance. But Triple J, naturally, has NO knowledge of such bargaining on his behalf. Absolutely none. It’s amazing how isolated our political representatives are from reality.
So you can discuss doing something like this and it’s not conspiracy? It’s not a crime?
Raghuveer Nayak, the campaign crony who has dumped tens of thousands of dollars into the campaign pockets of Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, seems to in a race to compete with another star campaign donor from Illinois, Tony Rezko, to see how many people he can contribute to and apparently "influence."
While Rezko's list includes some power names in Illinois, including our local political rockstar, U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama, Nayak seems to be broadening his geographical reach (and Nayak is a Hillary Clinton buddy).
We've learned Raghuveer Nayak, the "secret" owner of the old Copley Hospital site in Aurora and mysteriously finds himself in the above picture with then-candidate Tom Weisner and boytoy Gerry Galloway at a downtown property that would be in the path of a major development, has dumped $25,000 in Iowa."
Source: http://openline.blogspot.com/2008/03/move-over-rezko-weisner-blagojevich.html
Geraldo and Carvel. Yeah, there's two who's word I'll take to the bank. In other news, a prosecutor from NJ who's a friend of Fitzgerald said on Fox & Friends this morning that all they have to do is reach consensus for it to be criminal.
Let's see, who's word should I accept...?
What did Oprah know and when did she know it? ;)
DJ:cuing AC/DC “Money Talks”.
Is the writing on the wall yet?
From the transcript of the wiretapped conversations, it was learned that BO’s team uses the Tribune to release/relay information to and Blago uses the Sun-Times.
Blago released information to the Sun-Times that he was leaning toward appointing JJ, Jr. to the Senate in order to send information to BO and up the ante on getting something for Valerie Jarrett.
This very well could be a drop from BO’s team to put the heat on JJ, Jr. and get it off themselves.
Anything that is reported from either the Tribune or the Sun-Times on this story with unnamed sources is to be highly suspect.
This is a high stakes game that is being played and all sides are using media outlets to their own advantage.
So this is change. Lots of change. Enough to make cold cash Jefferson from New Orleans feel like a petty criminal. They don’t make freezers big enough to hold Jesse Jackson’s loot.
It's there, and already covered by the $h!t that flew from the fan...
"Conspiracy to commit"
"Accessory after the fact"
If they knew this was going on and said nothing, they're in deep kimchi.
If Obama knew this was going on and said nothing, he's in deep kimchi. The man is an Officer of the Court.
L
I cannot understand why the prosecution allowed this to get out early before the $’s had exchangaged hands. I would have liked to see JJ jr. incarcerated.
The Chicago way...
I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life, I don’t apologize; to take care of my family, and I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those bigshots. I don’t apologize; that’s my life, but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the strings: Senator Jackson; Governor Jackson. Well, it wasn’t enough time, Jesse Jr., It wasn’t enough time...Now listen, whoever comes to you with this Obama meeting, he’s the traitor. Don’t forget that.
Some key dates (all can be sourced) ...
9/17/08 0 calls Emil Jones about ethics bill
9/19/08 Blago calls the move a Republican trap, and brings up Rezkos name in a presser. I have a theory on what happened in the Rezko situation was a system, you know, sucked him in and then some lines were crossed and then that person found himself actually violating some of the rules, Blagojevich said.
10/07/08 Blago tells Rezko to tell the truth, the day after federal prosecutors indicated that the convicted fund-raiser might be cooperating with them. Rezko sentencing subsequently delayed.
10/12/08 Rezko starts talking.
10/17/08 Blago sends 0 message via Sun-Times Sneed, Who will it be?
10/21/08 Order was signed authorizing a 30-day interception of oral communications at Friends of Blago, Blagos personal office and the conference room and that it was begun on Oct. 22.
??? Feds ask Trib to hold the presses due to wire taps.
10/28/08 Goodbye gov? Sneed hears a plan is afoot to impeach Gov. Blagojevich following the presidential election next month. Word is the votes are there. Stay tuned.
10/31/08 I just dont want to jinx him and I dont like the karma of me thinking that far ahead, Blagojevich said of Obama s prospects in Tuesdays election. The governor added, We have had some discussions about a process which well share ... if all goes well.
Businessmen with ties to both Illinois Blago and JJJ discussed raising $1 million for 0’s seat. Raghuveer Nayak and Blago aide Rajinder Bedi told attendees at an Oct. 31 meeting that they needed to raise the money for the governor to ensure JJJ’s appointment. “Raghu said he needed to raise a million for Rod to make sure Jesse got the seat,” an unidentified source who attended the meeting told the Tribune. Blago also attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Nayak, an Oak Brook businessman.
11/05/08 Blago meets with 0 regarding senate appointment process. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2146114/posts (Follow up 11/08, both reports pulled 12/10/08.)
11/06/08 Rahn named chief of staff.
??? AFTER being name chief of staff, Rahm has multiple conversations with Blago, giving him a list of names acceptable to 0.
11/07/08 Blago sends second message to team 0 via Sneed, Sen. Madigan?
11/10/08 Marathon conference call, more than two hours, between various Washington, D.C., based advisers, Blago, his wife, his general counsel, an unnamed adviser, and John Harris, regarding what (Blago) can get from the President-elect for the Senate seat. Blago believed the candidate was Jarrett.
7:56 PM ET, CNN reported that two Democratic sources close to President-elect Barack Obama tell CNN that top adviser Valerie Jarrett will not be appointed to replace him in the U.S. Senate.
11/12/08 Durbin announces his intent to speak about his senate candidates with Blago.
11/13/08 Durbin asks Blago for a meeting, voices Duckworth as a favorite.
Jarrett accepts cabinet post.
After several pages of detailing those machinations, the criminal complaint takes an abrupt turn, describing NO WIRETAPS for a period of THREE WEEKS. The complaint says Blagojevich had numerous conversations about the Senate seat during that period, but it doesnt detail any.
11/14/08 0 announces senate seat resignation, and distances himself from Blago, (courtesy of the WaPo). Resignation meant to ratchet up the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to name a successor more quickly than planned.
11/23/08 Axelrod said, I know hes talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them. (youtube video pulled 12/10/08)
11/26/08 Durbin weighs asking Bush to commute ex-Gov. Ryan
11/27/08 Blagojevich: Bush should let Ryan out of Prison
12/05/08 Chicago Tribune ran a story on its front page reporting that law enforcement had secretly recorded Blagojevichs conversations as part of a criminal investigation. Blagojevich immediately instructed Fundraiser A to undo the plan to meet personally with the associate of Candidate Five, (JJJ).
12/09/08 Blago arrested, is accused of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, as well as soliciting bribes.
12/10/08 0 and Durbin call for Blagos resignation.
See-BS actually reported this? Will wonders never cease?
Well done. Thanks.
For Democrats, of course.
There is obviously an entirely different set of standards for those not loyal to The Party.
That’s gonna leave a mark....
Nice work, maggie! Thanks for putting that together.
Excellent work Maggie!!
I am just starting to follow this story. At this time I can only wonder how far up this will go.
This is just part of doing business in Chicago, and now that the Illinois gang has the keys to the asylum--and the media is as complicit as the a Chicago alderman--it seems a little naive to think that this or any future Obama malfeasance will amount to anything more than the trashing of those "nasty and divisive" enough to say that it is a problem.
there’s a whole lot of missing pages, tapes, days. They only released what they want us to know. NOT THE TRUTH. But lets face it, if they did, the whole lot of them would be out in the cold or behind bars. We are all mushrooms, and you know what they say about mushrooms.
I have been saying that for two days now. A crime was committed, both by Blago and by the candidates who were negotiating with him. Blago was extorting money or other compensation for return of a Senate seat appointment. He didn't actually have to complete the deal for a crime to be committed. It is unlawful to attempt extortion and bribery as it is to actually do it. JJjr could be nailed for attempted bribery and Blago could be nailed for attempted extortion(or whatever name they care to call this crime).
To say there was no crime is like saying someone who attempts to murder someone but fails, committed no crime, either statement is incorrect.
I am hoping the nail Bozo to the wall also but doubt if they do. I believe old Fitz is covering for him.
“theres a whole lot of missing pages, tapes, days. They only released what they want us to know. “
As the leaks come forward we can fill in some blanks. I’m betting on leaks from Blago.
What do they say about mushrooms, dare I ask?
bump so much corruption so little time
Great work in detailing that.
Please ping me if there’s anything to add or change in the timeline.
Where’s the white chick that sings with these guys?
They only released what they needed to get the criminal complaint signed. No prosecutor worth his salt will release everything he has.
See maggief's post #23 about those 3 weeks of no wiretaps being listed in the complaint. It states there were "numerous" conversations during that period. Bada bing, bada boom...
This is an ongoing investigation and Fitzgerald is playing his cards close to his vest.
Then there's the Obama news conferences. Tuesday he claims to never have had any contact with Blago regarding the Senate seat. An earlier (11/23) statement by Axelrod on Fox News Sunday disputes this. Then the Obama camp on Wednesday (including a "clarifying" statement by Axelrod) states that Axelrod "misspoke". Yesterday, Obama holds another news conference (Rahm Emmanuel is absent) in which he appears to back off from his Tuesday statement somewhat, saying he will poll his aides to confirm there's been no contact between his campaign and the Blagojevich camp.
Today, Fox News Chicago comes out with news that Emmanuel may well have had discussions with the Blago camp. This, after Emmanuel refuses to talk to reporters on Thursday at the Daley Center.
I realize much of this expands the timeline beyond the Blagojevich investigation itself, but it's relational...
Who says you can’t kill a Jackson? Crooked pol gets caught up in the (political) rackets and gets what’s coming to him. That would make a great story...

| businessman Raghuveer Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi
|
Hhhhmmmm .....
Now I’m not a lawyer - and I don’t play one on TV - but I have to wonder what RICO would have to say about that. Much more authoritative than Whoraldo and Ice Cream boy put together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conspiracy to commit.... is a crime. Geraldo is a Joke and Carvel is a demon.
Thanks to a number of freepers I have come to my senses and will return to my political roots right here. No more tv talking heads with their gasbag approach to politics. It’s become pure “entertainment” with little (if any) factual basis.)
“Saying is not the same thing as doing, so there has been no crime. According to Geraldo and Carvel this morning.”
Chris Wallace said the same thing on Mike Gallagher’s show.
If Fitzgerald has the evidence to indict Obama and he does indict Obama, then, he's a patriot and deserves a medal of honor. He has saved our Republic.
If, on the other hand, he has the evidence on Obama and decides NOT to indict Obama because, after all, he was just elected president and “the people” wouldn't tolerate the political interference, then he's from Chicago!
I'll bet Nixon is spinning in his grave at the moment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.