Jesse Jackson Jr. may soon face the greatest threat to his congressional seat of his lengthy political career. In the wake of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s sweeping conviction on 17 of 20 federal corruption charges, Jackson now faces the probability of a House Ethics probe into allegedly offering to buy President Obama’s vacant Senate seat from Blagojevich.
The media is reporting that the House had delayed an inquiry into Jackson, D-Ill., at the behest of the U.S. Department of Justice until the conclusion of Blagojevich’s trial. Now that U.S. prosecutors won the case, they are now training their legal guns on the son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. The former governor, nicknamed “Blago,” was convicted of putting Obama’s former senate seat up to the highest bidder, with Congressman Jackson being one of the supposed potential buyers.
If the charges prove to be true, it could very well signal the end of another major black political dynasty in less than a year. The Kilpatrick family’s political reign ended in Michigan when former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted and imprisoned on various corruption charges, and it is seen most as being responsible for his mother, former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, losing her long-held seat in the latest elections.
Jackson categorically denies any wrongdoing and defended himself vehemently in a press conference after Blagojevich was arrested at his home at the beginning of this media and legal circus.
Jackson is accused of telling one of his major donors to give Blagojevich the requested amount of money to buy then-Senator Obama’s seat after he moved into the White House.
The younger Jackson was called to testify in the Blagojevich trial, but claims that he did not know that one of his donors made an offer to Blagojevich in order to convince the former governor to appoint Jackson to Obama’s open seat.
–terry shropshire
