Jackson Jr. Suffers Collateral Damage

Secret recordings of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich talking about what he could get in return for a U.S. Senate appointment show that as the federal authorities closed in, there was just one contender he thought he could get a deal with — U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Though he isn’t charged and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, Jackson has suffered more collateral damage than any other politician so far in the former governor’s political corruption trial. And when the trial is finished, Jackson faces the resumption of a House ethics probe into his actions.

Jackson has spent in excess of $200,000 in legal fees from his federal campaign fund amid the Blagojevich criminal investigation and the resulting congressional inquiry, which was put on hold at the request of the U.S. attorney’s office while the criminal case plays out.

In expletive-laced conversations played in court and released publicly, Blagojevich and his inner circle ridiculed Jackson as a political lightweight unworthy of the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

But Blagojevich warmed to the notion that Jackson loyalists could raise $1 million for the governor — an alleged scheme that prosecutors now say Jackson knew about.

Read more: (John Chase and Rick Pearson, “Jackson Jr. Suffers Collateral Damage,” Chicago Tribune, 07/11/10)