Robert Blagojevich: Feds Tipped Off Jesse Jackson, Jr.

The brother of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Robert Blagojevich, now claims he believes federal investigators tipped off former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. about their ongoing investigation of the governor in order to protect him from his attempts to purchase the Senate seat. The Chicago Sun-Times says the brother, who the feds failed to obtain a conviction against as a co-conspirator during the trial of the former governor, made those allegations during a speech in Chicago recently. Contrary to Jackson's claims that he manned up and accepted responsibility for the crimes he committed, Robert Blagojevich claims the evidence shows otherwise.

. . . . “It was very clear to me that Congressman Jackson was the man who empowered these two emissaries to come talk to us about the United States Senate seat. It is my view that Congressman Jackson was allowed to get away with a federal crime because the U.S. attorney and the FBI knew all of this from their interviews with witnesses and the people in the center of this,” he said . . .

Robert Blagojevich said FBI reports he has read indicate that a top Jackson donor told authorities that Jackson called him with a warning.

“Don’t talk about money anymore, I hear that Blagojevich is being investigated,” Robert said Raghu Nayak told the FBI that Jackson said in a phone call. “What I conclude logically from that is, Congressman Jackson was tipped off by someone that there was an investigation going on of my brother and protecting him.”

Robert Blagojevich recalled 2009, when he and his brother were both arraigned in federal court on the same day, each answering to charges in a federal indictment.

“I will never forget that moment for as long as I live,” he said. ”Thinking about our parents who would have probably been shocked, of course, and overwhelmed by what happened to their sons.”

The two pleaded not guilty that day, and Robert Blagojevich went on to fight the charges at trial.

Prosecutors later dropped a bid for a retrial against him after a hung jury voted 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal. Rod Blagojevich was convicted in a second trial and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He is still awaiting the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on his appellate case.

Robert's brother wasn't as fortune as him. He would be found guilty of talking about selling the Senate seat held by Barack Obama from which he resigned following his election as president. Federal investigators obviously became quite concerned when they heard Blagojevich in recorded phone calls talking not only to Jackson and his emissaries but also Obama and his emissaries, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, discussing the Senate seat with Blagojevich, who was arrested before he could complete a deal. Jackson was later charged with unrelated campaign finance and tax evasion crimes. He entered into a plea agreement and served time in a federal prison for those charges.