Feds Say Jackson Jr. Attended Meeting on Donation-Senate Appointment Deal

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday for the first time that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. attended a meeting in 2008 at which $1 million in fund-raising for Rod Blagojevich was discussed in exchange for Jackson’s own Senate seat appointment.
The meeting described by prosecutors was not previously disclosed by Jackson.
The person who allegedly discussed the fund-raising with Jackson was Raghuveer Nayak — the man who prosecutors have said offered Blagojevich more than a million in return for Jackson’s appointment.
Jackson, his longtime supporter and fund-raiser Nayak and Blagojevich employee Rajinder Bedi all met at the 312 Chicago restaurant on Oct. 28, 2008, according to prosecutors.
The conversation turned to Jackson’s interest in the U.S. Senate seat, which in a matter of days would be up for grabs once Barack Obama became president.
“The thing that’s significant, Nayak says: ‘I will raise $1 million for Blagojevich if he appoints you [Jackson] to the Senate seat,’ ” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Niewoehner told U.S. District Judge James Zagel with the jury out of the room. Niewoehner said Bedi heard Nayak tell Jackson this. He did not offer any more details.
Hours later, Bedi met with Rod Blagojevich’s fund-raising chairman, Robert Blagojevich.
“That statement . . . leads Bedi to mention [to Robert Blagojevich] that Nayak is interested in doing fund-raising for Blagojevich, and he wants Jackson appointed,” Niewoehner said.
Jackson, who is not accused of wrongdoing, has said he never offered to raise money for Blagojevich. Prosecutors revealed few details of the Oct. 28 meeting, which was largely discussed with jurors out of the room. Ultimately, Zagel severely limited what Bedi could testify about.
The prosecution’s statements about the meeting marked the first time it has been publicly said that Jackson met with a Blagojevich administration official to discuss potential fund-raising for Blagojevich at the same time Jackson pursued a Senate seat appointment.

Read more: (Natasha Korecki, Sarah Ostman and Chris Fusco, “Feds: Jackson Jr. at Meeting on Senate Seat,” Chicago Sun-Times, 07/08/10)