The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. issued a statement Thursday evening, denying he had anything to do with the Illinois governor's alleged pay-to-play scheme.
Jackson Sr. is the father of U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr., the man called "Candidate 5" in the U.S. attorney's complaint against Rod Blagojevich.
"Our office has received calls today inquiring about or suggesting that I or a member of my family served as an emissary in Governor Blagojevich's "pay-to-play" scheme, revealed through wire-taps, to fill the state’s open Senate seat," Jackson Sr.'s statement read. " It is not true. Such speculation is unfair, has no basis in fact, and wrongfully damages reputations."
The statement, officially issued by the reverend's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, went on to chastise the media, reminding that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald "warned people to refrain from casting aspersions." It then referred all questions on the matter to the law firm of Cochran and Montgomery.
