Was Jesse Jackson, Jr. the $5 Million Man?

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Apr 13, 2009 6:20PM

With U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. already facing an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, the Sun-Times has uncovered some information that will put Jackson on the defensive once again. According to the Sun-Times' Natasha Korecki, two men, one of whom claimed he was a Jackson emissary, promised the Blagojevich campaign Jackson would raise $5 million for Blagojevich and then the Indian community would chip in an additional $1 million in exchange for appointing Jackson to the U.S. Senate seat. What still remains unclear, however, is Jackson's role - if any - in these negotiations.

The first came from Rajinder Bedi, a state employee who acted as a conduit to the Indian community for Blagojevich, sources say. Bedi met with the governor’s brother, Robert, to tell him that a longtime fund-raiser and wealthy health care businessman, Raghuveer Nayak, would help organize fund-raising within the Indian community and that Jackson would raise money as well.

Then, at an Oct. 31 planning luncheon at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg, Nayak delivered a similar message to Robert Blagojevich, the Sun-Times has learned. Nayak allegedly identified himself to the Blagojevich camp as a representative of Jackson, sources say.

At some point, signals were crossed in communicating the dollar amounts, though, leaving Rod Blagojevich to believe, according to the criminal complaint against him, that he would be paid $1.5 million should he appoint Jackson to fill Obama’s seat.

But the offer was really supposed to be $5 million raised by Jackson, as well as up to $1 million from the Indian community, sources said.

Korecki's story has the full break-down of events. Neither Nayak, Bedi, or Jackson have been charged with any wrongdoing in the case.