WASHINGTON | U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. confirmed Wednesday he is the subject of a preliminary inquiry from a congressional ethics board looking into his attempts to be appointed to the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
The Illinois Democrat said he is cooperating with a review from the Office of Congressional Ethics. The board is looking into Jackson's interactions with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was indicted last week on a variety of corruption charges including allegations he attempted to sell the vacant Senate seat.
"As I said when the Blagojevich scandal first broke back in December, I have done nothing wrong and reject pay-to-play politics," Jackson said in a statement. "I'm confident that this new ethics office -- which I voted in favor of creating -- will be able to conduct a fair and expeditious review and dismiss this matter."
Jackson said he was told of the inquiry last week.
Jackson, the son of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, has previously acknowledged he was "Senate Candidate A" in Blagojevich's criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, Jackson was one of several candidates to whom authorities allege Blagojevich tried to shop the Senate seat now held by Roland Burris. Jackson's supporters were willing to raise $1.5 million for Blagojevich if he picked the congressman, according to the filing.
Jackson's case will now go to the Office of Congressional Ethics, a bipartisan panel made up of non-lawmakers who review and investigate possible ethics violations by House members. The board can review cases and refer them to the House ethics committee if merited.
Bob Storman, spokesman for Thornton Township Supervisor Frank Zuccarelli, said the investigation will clear Jackson's name and bring "back honor and integrity to the district."
"We pray for the best with that investigation and hope everything turns out OK," he said. "I just think it's a sad day in Illinois politics, so many of our politicians are getting caught up in some type of corruption scheme. We always feel there should be integrity in government, and hope this doesn't take the reputation or credibility of Jesse Jackson Jr. or Jesse Jackson Sr. or his family."
The allegations need to be looked into regardless of partisan politics, said Lee Roupas, chairman of the Cook County Republican Party. He said he wasn't surprised the panel is looking into Jackson.
"Clearly, his name surfaced at the outset of this investigation with Governor Blagojevich and process of replacing the U.S. Senate seat," Roupas said.
"These are serious allegations and they should be fully reviewed by the U.S. attorney, as well as the Congressional Ethics Panel."
Two members of the office, one from each party, are needed to initiate a preliminary investigation of a member. Three board members must vote to move to the next phase of the review.
The Office of Congressional Ethics does not publicly acknowledge its investigations, and if the panel dismisses a case, no record is made. Authority to make recommendations of censure or punishment still rests with the House ethics committee, which is made up of lawmakers.
The Chicago Sun-Times was first to report the inquiry.
