With all these anonymous pols designated by numbers rather than names in the Blagojevich criminal complaint, you won't be able to keep them all straight without a scorecard.
The fact that Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been confirmed as candidate #5 is significant. It was his surrogates who, when meeting with Blagojevich about the senate seat, offered up to $1 million to bribe the governor .
According to the FBI affidavit in the case, Blagojevich "stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided ROD BLAGOJEVICH" with something "tangible up front."
Jackson said this morning he was contacted Tuesday by federal prosecutors whom he said "asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process."
Jackson said, "I don't know" when asked whether he was Candidate No. 5, but said he was told "I am not a target of this investigation."
Jackson said he agreed to talk with federal investigators "as quickly as possible" after he consulted with a lawyer.
Jackson and Blago hate each other while Jackson and Obama also don't see eye to eye on much. Blago was seeking to use Jackson as a cat's paw, trying to get Obama to up the ante in order to get his favorite - Valerie Jarrett - named to the senate seat. By threatening to seat Jackson, Blago thought he had Obama over a rail and could force further concessions - lucrative concessions - from the Obama camp.
Obama wouldn't play ball and that's where some questions are going to be asked by prosecutors and the press.
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