Jesse Jackson, Jr.: Snitch

Well, well, well. The Bench said recently (as did a lot of others) that US Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s career was "toast" because of implications that he may have been involved in the ongoing Blagojevich corruption scandal. Well, well, well. We were right, but accidentally and for the wrong reasons. Let me explain. On Dec. 16, I wrote that Jackson "is protesting his innocence just a leeeetle bit too much," and I stand by that. However, I (nor you) knew not that Jackson has been acting as an informant for the US Attorney General's office. In other words, Jackson was narcing out his colleagues. Now, I'm all in favor of a guy risking his well being to root out corruption. (Did Jackson wear a wire?) It's not exactly like he was spying on the Mafia, but damned close. Rather than kill you outright, instead of smashing your knee caps, Illinois Democrats do worse - they destroy careers and reputations and, thereby, lives. (Death is permanent but relieves you of suffering. Democrat grudges last forever, lingering on for years and years until you die, and then after you die your name is eternally besmirched.) Assuming that Jackson was spying on fellow Democrats, why would he publicly blab about that? I mean, shouldn't he go into some kind of witness protection program? So, let's go back to the whole "his career is toast" thing. His career is burnt toast, crispier than previously thought. If Jackson is not shunned by fellow Democrats, from this moment on, it will be a surprise. Can you imagine Mayor Daley ever again confiding in him? Or Howard Dean? Or Rahm Emanuel? Or any other Democrat? "Hey Junior," they'll say with squinty-eyed smirks, "you wearing a wire? Maybe we oughta pat you down, you know?" According to the Guardian (UK), "In the latest development, a spokesman for Jackson told the Associated Press last night that Jackson has been talking to federal investigators about his dealings with Blagojevich before the latest scandal" and he "had told investigators about another alleged incident that predated the present scandal." (Source) The Guardian quoted ABC-7 Chicago, which reported that "since late last summer, the congressman has worked with federal prosecutors, informing on an alleged Blagojevich administration scheme two and half years earlier. The meeting in June of 2006 at a Gold Coast hotel included Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin 'Tony' Rezko." (Source) Okay, but... Why was Jackson doing this? Two possibilities immediately come to mind. First, that he was altruistically willing to risk his career in the Democrat Party to fight corruption. Second, that he might have been cooperating with the Feds in order to take the heat of off himself in a private deal. You know, like mafiosi do when they know the game is over and their only chance is to sell out their fellows. I'm not saying that this is what Jackson was up to, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. EbonyJet.com is even harsher on Jackson: Forgetting for the moment that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s odd “I can’t be guilty because I’m a snitch” defense is just a bizarre addendum to an already bizarre case, why is it that nobody’s talking about the real oddity here? (Source) Good question, and EbonyJet asks more good questions (emphasis added): Forget all this hullabaloo about Blagojevich. Patrick Fitzgerald already said Jesse Jr. is not a subject of the investigation. So why is Jesse Jr. focusing on this so much and drawing attention to himself when he needs to be focused on the very serious career-damaging issue posed by my question above. What has he done or not done -or not achieved (at least in the minds of his colleagues)- during his tenure that would warrant a complete lack of consideration such as this? Jackson Junior is still protesting an awful lot for an innocent man. Suddenly, after letting his reputation be ravaged nationwide for days, he reveals through a spokesman late in the day that he's been a snitch for the feds. Suddenly, without full explanation, we're supposed to just accept that and not ask why he was a plant for The Man. Suddenly, Jackson not only still looks like an idiot, he now looks like a foolish idiot that none of his mostly-crooked fellow party hacks will ever trust again. Repeat: Jesse Jackson's career is toast. Pass the jam, Jesse, you can't win for losin'. RELATED: Spokesman: Jackson Jr. talked to feds for years Jesse Jackson Jr. Identified As Informant In Blagojevich Probe The Long Knives Are Out In Chicago Schumer vs. Blagojevich: No match when it comes to corruption