New break in Obama Illinois Senate seat sale scandal
A mysterious "Individual D" in the ongoing Illinois political scandal to auction off President-elect Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat has now been identified as Raghuveer Nayak, a millionaire Chicago-area Indian businessman whose voice turned up on FBI wiretaps and bugs of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Nayak is "Individual D" in the criminal complaint outlining the case against the governor, according to a story in Monday's Chicago Tribune. Nayak is heard on the tapes being squeezed by Blagojevich to raise campaign money in return for naming Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to Obama's vacant seat.
Nayak, one of a savvy band of local moneymen who help fund the state's Democratic political machine, is now reportedly negotiating with federal prosecutors for immunity in return for his testimony.
The 54-year-old, who made his fortune in various medical businesses, was questioned by authorities the same day that Blagojevich was arrested. Nayak has not been charged with anything.
Also due out today or Tuesday is Obama's staff report on its contacts with the governor over the Senate vacancy, a report that was reportedly completed a week ago but held back at the request of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, according to Obama, who has said there was no impropriety.
Previously, the Tribune has reported that Nayak held an Oct. 31 fundraiser for Blagojevich where he discussed raising $1 million for the governor in return for the Jackson nomination. And Jackson's brother Jonathan was at another Blagojevich fundraiser 72 hours before the governor's arrest.
Congressman Jackson has said he discussed his desire for the Senate seat with Nayak, but denies any knowledge of fundraising to benefit that bid.
Another Illinois fixer and fundraiser, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who helped Blagojevich and Obama, has already been convicted on 16 federal counts and is reported cooperating with the FBI in hopes of a more lenient prison sentence.
-- Andrew Malcolm
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Photo credit: Getty Images (Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. campaigns with Obama).
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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How many people do we really think feel BHO and JJ knew nothing about what Blago was doing. I feel they knew exactly what was going on because it has been this business as usual for many years and you just don't spend years playing in the mud without getting your hands dirty. Newspapers and FBI should be held accountable if this is a cover-up. Do I think it will be? Does a bear have hair?
Posted by: budswisr | December 27, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Rezco and Nayak both gave scandalously high amounts of money to Obama,some trust worthy sources even say that tens of thousands in untraceable
cash foud their way to Obama through Blago's collaboration.jesse jackson jr was one of Illinois most vociforous endorser of Obama...to the point that his
own father questioned his judgement in public.The older J.J. was apparently not happy to see his son partake in the corrupt machinations of the reviled illinois
democrat political machine.
Posted by: Slobodan Abednego jr | December 28, 2008 at 12:32 AM