Cries of racism in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1.
Via National Journal:
After more than two years, the House Ethics Committee announced Friday it would continue to probe whether Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., improperly sought an appointment to the U.S. Senate from disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2008, but the panel stopped short of opening a full-fledged investigation.
The decision, announced by Ethics Committee Chairman Jo Bonner, R-Ala., and the ranking member, Rep.Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., extends what has already been a years-long political headache for a man once considered one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars.
The OCE reported that transcripts of private conversations showed an “emissary” from Jackson Jr. offered to provide “money up-front” to Blagojevich in exchange for the Senate appointment.
The investigation, however, was halted in mid-2009 at the request of the Justice Department, which was pursuing a criminal case against Blagojevich, who was eventually convicted on more than a dozen counts, including attempted extortion and soliciting bribes.