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The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. issued a statement Thursday evening, denying he had anything to do with the Illinois governor's alleged pay-to-play scheme. Jackson Sr. is the father of U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr., the man called "Candidate 5" in the U.S. attorney's complaint against Rod Blagojevich. "Our office has received calls today inquiring about or suggesting that I or a member of my family served as an emissary in Governor Blagojevich's "pay-to-play" scheme, revealed through wire-taps, to fill the state’s open Senate seat," Jackson Sr.'s statement read. " It is not true. Such speculation is unfair, has no basis...

The cookie continues to crumble… Barack Obama has chosen to surround himself with crooks and liars. It was just yesterday that Jesse Jackson Jr. soberly exclaimed that he had not met Rod Blagojevich in 4 years… I mean, that sounds odd considering the fact that Jesse is a member of the Illiniois delegation to the House of Reps, and Rod is the State governor and both come from the same party… Anyway, here’s a video taken in Denver (thanks Ace) during the Democratic National Convention in August which shows the two men not only being in the same vicinity, but...

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is talking tough in an appearance on FOX News this afternoon, telling the network that he believes Candidate #5 -- later revealed to be Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. -- "will be indicted." QUESTION: OK. So you say -- you say his career is history. But everyone wants to know what is going to happen to Barack Obama ’s Senate seat. He still has the ability to appoint that position. What -- what happens next? KIRK: He does. But if he makes any sort of emergency appointment, that person will be fatally flawed. I already suspect that...

Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. vehemently denied Wednesday trying to bribe Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich to name him to President-elect Barack Obama's old Senate seat, as Mr. Obama and all 50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus called on the embattled governor to resign. Mr. Jackson's attorney acknowledged that his client was the "Senate Candidate 5" mentioned 16 times in a 76-page affidavit laying out the FBI's corruption case against Mr. Blagojevich, but he said Mr. Jackson was not aware of anyone cutting deals on his behalf. The affidavit quotes Mr. Blagojevich telling one of his advisers that he...

CHICAGO (AP) – A lawyer for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says the congressman is the “Senate Candidate 5” mentioned in the federal corruption complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Attorney James D. Montgomery Sr. said Wednesday that Jackson never had a “pay-to-play” conversation with Blagojevich. The governor is accused of trying to profit from his authority to appoint a replacement to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Montgomery says Jackson “never authorized anyone to seek the governor’s support” for anything of value. And he says Jackson isn’t aware of any associates having made such an overture on his behalf.

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. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said today that the FBI wants to interview him as part of the investigation... Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said today that the FBI wants to interview him as part of the investigation into Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, though he says he's been told he is not a target of the probe. In this 2005 file photo,...

ON NOW! LAWYER will speak shortly

Jesse Jackson Jr.: ‘I Am Not a Target’ In Blagojevich Probe After being identified as “Senate Candidate 5” in the complaint filed in Tuesday’s arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. held a press conference this afternoon on Capitol Hill, saying he is innocent in Blagojevich’s alleged schemes to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. “Know this: I spoke to the U.S. attorney’s office on Tuesday and they shared with me that I am not a target of this investigation and I am not accused of any misconduct,” Jackson told reporters this afternoon....

If naiveté were a crime, Jesse Jackson Jr. could be looking at a life sentence. Either that, or Senate candidate 5 wasn't being completely candid in his press conference this afternoon. Jackson professed shock that Rod Blagojevich—a man who long before this week's arrest had a Katrina-sized cloud over his head—might have been conducting his Senate-seat search in accordance with anything but the most Mother Teresa-worthy standards. View video here. Excerpts from Jackson's statement:

A lawyer for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says the congressman is the "Senate Candidate 5" mentioned in the federal corruption complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Following a 90-minute audition meeting today with Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. said he was confident in the process the governor is using to make his choice for a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama. But Jackson also touted his credentials for being Blagojevich’s choice, saying that in his 13-year House career serving the South Side and south suburbs, he has only missed two votes. Jackson also said there are three factors that the next senator must be able to fulfill. “He has to be able to legislate. Or she has to be able to legislate,” Jackson said,...

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said he would resign his U.S. Senate seat effective on Sunday as he focuses on his transition to the White House. "It has been one of the highest honors and privileges of my life to have served the people of Illinois in the United States Senate," Obama said in a statement.

< Back to Front Page Text size – + Obama resigns, will miss key votes Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter November 13, 2008 05:17 PM Four years after winning election to the United States Senate, President-elect Barack Obama announced today that he is formally resigning his seat effective Sunday, which means he won't be on Capitol Hill for key upcoming votes.

Illinois political insiders say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who defended Barack Obama after his father famously threatened to castrate him, is the favorite to replace the Democratic nominee in the Senate. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) scolded his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, publicly after his comments were caught unexpectedly on tape before an interview with Fox News this summer. But Jackson Jr.’s path is by no means assured. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also wants to replace Sen. Obama (Ill.) in the upper chamber if he is elected president. This gives Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who must choose between an African-American political...

But Jackson Jr.’s path is by no means assured. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also wants to replace Sen. Obama (Ill.) in the upper chamber if he is elected president. This gives Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who must choose between an African-American political scion and a close ally of the labor movement, a difficult decision. Jackson has made plain that he would like to succeed Obama in the Senate. “If Sen. Obama wins -- and I’m optimistic that he will, I indeed would be honored and humbled to succeed him in the U.S. Senate,” said Jackson in a statement. “But, in...