Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) confirmed that the Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating all connections he had with former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. In a phone conversation that was recorded by prosecutors, Blago said that a staff person for Jackson approached him offering to pay $1 million in campaign contributions if he would appoint Jackson to Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat. In an email statement released Wednesday, Jackson said that he is cooperating fully with the probe and added, “I have done nothing wrong and reject pay-to-play politics.” The Office of Congressional Ethics has thirty days to investigate the connection, at which point it will refer information to the House Ethics Committee to determine outcomes. (ABC News)Sixty-one housing agencies that have been criticized numerous times for mishandling government aid will receive more than $300 million in stimulus funds, a USA Today report revealed Wednesday. Auditors found that the housing agencies frequently employed poor bookkeeping practices and spent money improperly, according to a report by the Office of Management and Budget. Though Congress allows the Obama administration to withhold stimulus funds from “troubled” agencies, a HUD spokeswoman said that they released the funds — part of a $4 billion effort to create jobs and fix run-down public housing projects — because they “should have the opportunity to improve their housing.” (USA Today)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=143988