Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. denies a report that he told a businessman to offer Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in exchange for being appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday that businessman Raghuveer Nayak told the FBI that Jackson instructed him to raise $6 million in campaign funds for Blagojevich. In a statement, Jackson said Nayak’s allegation is not true.
Jackson has long denied knowing anything about the alleged offer.
The paper also reports that Nayak told the FBI he paid for airline tickets for a woman he described as a “social acquaintance” of Jackson. Jackson says the issue is a private matter between him and his wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson.