Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Classic Van Halen "Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
FBI arrests ex-fund-raiser for Jesse Jackson Jr., key in Blago case
June 20, 2012 8:36AM
Excerpt:
"Raghuveer Nayak was long the insider who politicos leaned on for his deep pockets.
He
once picked up a $7,500 unpaid tab for a Rod Blagojevich fund-raiser,
and more notably, paid to fly a “social acquaintance” of U.S. Rep. Jesse
Jackson Jr. across the country at Jackson’s request.
Nayak would wine and dine politicians,
at times held fund-raisers at his home and for years poured money into
numerous politicians’ campaigns, from Barack Obama to Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan to Gov. Pat Quinn.
At last summer’s Blagojevich retrial,
prosecutors had a distinct way to refer to the wealthy businessman: He
was “the bribe guy,” who in 2008 allegedly offered millions of dollars
to Rod Blagojevich’s brother in exchange for appointing Jackson Jr.
(D-Ill) to Obama’s vacant Senate seat.
On Wednesday, Nayak was in handcuffs,
arrested by the FBI at his Oak Brook home on charges that he paid
hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to doctors so they would
refer patients to his surgical centers"-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send Lawyers, Guns and Money
Classic by Warren Zevon "Lawyers, Guns and Money"
Jesse Jackson Jr. takes medical leave of absence
"U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who defeated a primary challenge this year despite being the target of a House ethics investigation, has been on a medical leave for two weeks and is being treated for exhaustion, his office announced Monday.
In a three-sentence news release, Jackson's office disclosed that the Democrat went on leave June 10 but did not provide further details, including how long he would be away. In the release, he asked that his family's privacy be respected.
"I don't know how long he'll be out of action," said Frank Watkins, Jackson's spokesman, adding that he could not offer additional details.
Several of Jackson's congressional colleagues noted his absence last week on the House floor, where he missed votes. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, did not know why he was gone.
The statement said Jackson's offices will remain open for constituent services. Since June 10, the congressman's office has sent out news releases quoting him. His Twitter site has remained active, including two tweets Monday about the Affordable Care Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this week.
Earlier this year, Jackson, 47, faced a primary challenge from former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson and campaigned more actively than in previous years. Since then, the veteran Democrat has been promoting a third Chicago area airport and campaigned against a proposed federal detention center for illegal immigrants.
Jackson first won office in 1995 and represents Illinois' 2nd District, which includes neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side and in its south suburbs.
The House Ethics Committee probe involves allegations that Jackson was involved in discussions about raising money for then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign in exchange for Blagojevich appointing him to President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat.
Jackson also allegedly directed a fundraiser and longtime friend, Raghuveer Nayak, to buy plane tickets for a woman described as Jackson's "social acquaintance." Jackson has since called it a personal matter that he has dealt with privately with his wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson.
Last week, Nayak was arrested and pleaded not guilty to unrelated fraud charges involving outpatient surgery centers he owns. At Blagojevich's first corruption trial in 2010, prosecutors said another Blagojevich fundraiser was ready to testify that Jackson instructed Nayak to raise money for Blagojevich's campaign in exchange for the Senate seat. The same witness later testified that he attended a meeting with Jackson and Nayak.
Jackson has not been charged. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and insists he will be vindicated.
Jackson's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, was out of the country Monday and declined to comment on the matter. Messages left for Sandi Jackson were not immediately returned"
Jesse Jackson Jr. also served as a national co-chairman of the Barack Obama presidential campaign.
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UPDATE by REUTERS 07/05/2012 1:18pm CST
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. needs 'extended' in-patient treatment
(Reuters) - " Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., who disclosed recently that he has been on medical leave since early June with an unspecified condition, is grappling with "physical and emotional ailments" that require in-patient treatment, his office said on Thursday.
In a statement, Jackson's press secretary Frank Watkins said the 47-year-old congressman's condition was "more serious than we thought and initially believed" and would require "extended in-patient treatment as well as continuing medical treatment thereafter."
The statement did not specify the medical problem.
The Chicago Democrat is the target of a congressional ethics probe for his alleged involvement in the scheme by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to sell President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.
Jackson, who has been out on medical leave since June 10, testified at Blagojevich's political corruption trial that he wanted to be named to the Senate seat. But he denied knowing about any offers of money made by his supporters to the then-governor in exchange for an appointment.
Jackson is the son of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1995. He has been re-elected by wide margins seven times since.
Earlier this year, he won a competitive Democratic primary against Debbie Halvorson, a former U.S. representative."
------------------------------------------------
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. dealing with severe ‘physical and emotional ailments’
Update
"But the announcement is the latest in a long line of troubles for the civil rights scion. Previously, Jackson and his wife acknowledged that he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship, and Jackson has also been linked to convicted former governor Rod Blagojevich’s (D) efforts to sell the open Senate seat vacated by President Obama in 2009 (though he has not been charged with wrongdoing).
Through all of it, Jackson has stayed tight-lipped, and in a recent months and years, the once-outspoken Democrat has shied from the spotlight.
Jackson had been considered a rising star in Democratic circles, with potential statewide or mayoral ambitions, but as the Chicago Sun-Times reported last week, his problems have put a serious hold on all of that."
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