Fundraiser In Blagojevich Scandal Seeks Immunity; Obama Limiting Disclosure

Raghuveer P. Nayak is an Oak Brook businessman and political fundraiser. According to The Chicago Tribune, he is the unnamed ‘Individual D’ who prosecutors say was being squeezed by the governor for campaign cash in return for appointing US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to the Senate seat. He’s a key figure in Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged scheme to sell a US Senate seat, and has sought immunity from the Feds in return for his cooperation in their ongoing probe.

Barack Obama is releasing the results of his “investigation” of his staff regarding contact with Blago. However, he hasn’t pledged to release e-mails or other records that could be key to understanding the contacts between his office and Hot Rod’s. The Politico says he’s utilizing a gap in government records disclosure laws that allows presidential transition teams to keep their documents…even those prepared using taxpayer dollars -out of the public record.

George Stephanopoulos made the rounds of the Sunday political talk-shows, and leaked his knowledge about what the Obama report would contain. Steph said that Obama’s internal probe exonerates Rahm Emanuel. Not a surprise to us! Obama transition sources are saying their internal probe of any contact between transition officials and the disgraced Blagojevich will absolve Rahm of any impropriety. Steph told ABC’s This Week:

“The sources I talk to say that what it will show there were actually far less contacts than we had heard.” Emanuel “only had one phone call with…Blagojevich. It wasn’t even about the Senate seat.”

It will be QUITE interesting to see if prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation squares with Obama’s internal probe. Stay tuned!

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