Huffington Post Blogger and Jackson Jr. Defender Reveals Ties to Rev. Jessie Jackson

June 15, 2010

Everybody seems to have an opinion about former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but some opinions are heard or seen by more than others.
His trial offers an outlet for legal pundits. Some are former prosecutors who have gone after politicians and have experience in the complexities of white-collar crimes. Other lawyers are attending the trial and blogging, including Tamara Holder.
Holder is a Chicago criminal defense lawyer who blogs for the Huffington Post. She has also become a go-to guest for Fox News and some other network news shows looking for commentary on the Blagojevich case. In her words, she has been blogging about Blagojevich since his arrest 18 months ago.
On June 9, she posted commentary on the Huffington Post after attending opening arguments the day before. Most of her posting focused on U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who is alleged to have bargained with Blagojevich for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. Jackson has denied any wrongdoing in the public corruption case against Blagojevich.
Holder concluded before the first witness had taken the stand that Jackson’s name should be cleared.
“Of course, we haven’t yet heard any of the evidence, but what we did hear leads me to believe that now, after 18 months, Congressman Jackson can breathe a sigh of relief, no matter how you look at this case,” Holder wrote.
What she didn’t say in her post is that she has professional ties to the congressman’s father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson. According to her online biography, Holder created a legal clinic in 2006 at Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago.

Read more: (Ameet Sachdev, “Huffington Post Blogger Eventually Discloses Ties to Rev. Jessie Jackson,” Chicago Tribune, 06/15/10)