Report: Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Used Staff in 'Public Campaign' for Obama's Senate Seat

A report by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) says Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. used his congressional staff to mount a "public campaign" to be appointed by then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill Barack Obama's open U.S. Senate seat.

On the Jackson matter, the OCE report said, "In the course of conducting this review, the OCE learned that staff resources of the Representative's Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Illinois, offices were used to mount a 'public campaign' to secure the Representative's appointment to the U.S. Senate."

The Department of Justice has asked the House Committee on Standards and Official Conduct, which made the report public, to defer its ongoing investigation of Jackson's possible role in the Blagojevich "pay-for-play" scandal until after federal officials have tried Blagojevich and completed "related investigations."

Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich told committee members in a letter that their probe of Jackson and the Blagojevich matter "would pose a significant risk of interfering with pending criminal proceedings and ongoing investigation."

Jackson has denied any wrongdoing since his name first surfaced in the Blagojevich scandal and did so again Thursday.

Earlier this year, federal investigators released transcripts of recordings of Blagojevich's phone calls as governor, including his discussion of an "emissary" for Jackson, whom he said offered to raise campaign cash for the governor in exchange for the appointment to Obama's Senate seat.

The House committee also released a previously confidential recommendation from the OCE that the House further investigate Jackson's actions. The OCE has an independent, eight-member board of private citizens that makes initial inquiries into ethical complaints about House members and then recommends action to the House's official investigatory committee. House rules say if the committee defers an investigation at the request of law enforcement, the recommendation from the OCE must be made public.

It is against House rules for members of Congress to use official resources, including employees, in campaign activities. The OCE concluded that Jackson may have violated federal law and House rules, but did not conclude that he did. That decision would be up to the House committee and federal investigators.

In a statement, Jackson said he is cooperating fully with the ongoing probe. The statement also said, "Everyone knew that I was interested in the Senate appointment. I was deeply honored and humbled to receive the support of public officials, organizations and citizens from across the state. My efforts and actions were all public, ethical and legal."

Leo Wise, a spokesman for the OCE, told Politics Daily that his office cannot reveal more details of its investigation until the Department of Justice has completed its investigation, or the House committee moves forward.