Jesse Jackson, Jr., the man some of us came to know as “Senate Candidate Number 5” for his involvement in the attempted crooked deal to replace the senate seat Barack Obama left vacant, reportedly has signed a plea deal.
The terms require him to plead guilty, repay the government hundreds of thousands of dollars, and leave his sentencing in the hands of a federal judge. According to NBC, the jail time could be up to 5 years.
Columnist Sneed at the Chicago Sun-Times broke this, and other, stories that reveal details the public has yet to be made privy to:
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to a source familiar with the matter. The latest development comes in the ongoing federal investigation of Jackson’s alleged misuse of campaign funds.Sneed first tipped this week that the deal includes significant prison time and that Jackson’s wife, Sandi, the former alderman, feels as if she were thrown under the bus by her husband. Sandi Jackson faces a separate federal probe of her own campaign spending. Jesse Jackson has allegedly misspent a large amount of campaign funds, including buying a $40,000 Rolex watch.
One thing which is not clear is if Jesse Jr.’s deal includes cooperation in testifying against others in exchange for leniency. Jackson almost certainly knows where many Chicago political scandals are buried.
I spoke with Bill Miller at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, DC, who told me there was no comment on the case.
I followed up with an email asking whether the deal would be made public, and if the terms include Jackson testifying about others’ involvement. His response:
Thanks for the note. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has no comment on the case.I’d be glad to keep you posted of any developments.
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