Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sandi the Wonder Woman

$247,000 since 1991, $95,000 since she became alderman. Bloomberg. Jesse Jackson Jr. told the FEC his wife would be working full-time for his campaign, which is why they approved payments to Sandi Jackson from his campaign fund:
yet might do “occasional consulting work for her current non-political clients.

An interesting way to describe your constituents.

Sandi Jackson has continued to get money, receiving $5,000 payments from her husband’s political committee in 19 of the 22 months between her swearing-in as an alderman and the end of March, the last month for which federal campaign-expense filings are available. The 2008 total of $55,000 was more than she received in any previous year.
You have to wonder when this wonder woman sleeps. More cool stuff in between saving the world. She's using assumed names, um is such an unassuming public servant:

Jesse Jackson’s FEC reports list payments as being made to J. Donatella & Associates, which Bryant described as “Sandi’s sole proprietorship” for her consulting work. The couple’s oldest child is 9-year-old Jessica Donatella Jackson.

From 2003 through mid-2005, the recipient is shown on Jackson’s reports as “Lee Stevens” or “Lee Steven” at the J. Donatella firm. Sandi Jackson’s middle name is Lee. Her maiden name is Stevens.
Use of the creative names is described as a "software glitch". But why couldn't Wonder Woman fix something like that? More wonders in store:

In addition to payments for consulting work, Jesse Jackson’s political committee has transferred more than $227,000 to Sandi Jackson’s campaign organization since October 2006, according to his campaign reports. He provided in-kind benefits of $71,914, including billboard space worth about $66,000.

Federal election laws permit members of Congress to contribute their campaign funds to candidates for state and local offices. Jesse Jackson requested an FEC opinion in 2007, which said he also could give unlimited amounts to Sandi Jackson’s race for her Democratic Party post.

And honest, hard-working Americans wonder why all this is mostly legal. A final kicker:

The congressman got some reciprocal benefit when the “Friends of Sandi Jackson” campaign bankrolled a Zogby International poll that showed Jesse Jackson atop a list of 10 possible contenders to replace Obama in the Senate. Sandi Jackson’s campaign reports show almost $26,000 paid to Utica, New York-based Zogby two days before polling began.

Will wonders never cease.

P.S. Wonder how the Congressional ethics probe of the selling of the Obama Senate seat is going for Jesse. But then his fellow Dems are in charge.

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