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Blagojevich Scandal; Jesse Jackson, Jr, Speaks Out; Elected Leaders Not Trusted; Return Baby; First Lady Paycheck
Aired December 13, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Can you say anything to the people of the state of Illinois, sir? Do you have anything to say?
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH: I will at the appropriate time.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Are you going to resign?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Next in the CNN NEWSROOM, the first public comments from Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich since he was arrested for allegedly trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat.
Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE JACKSON Jr: I'm fighting now for my character, and I'm also fighting for my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALINA CHO, CNN HOST, CNN NEWSROOM: Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Making it clear he was not involved with pay-to-play politics to buy the Obama seat. His exclusive interview with CNN next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This is orange County utility emergency dispatch. We found a human skull.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Oh, my gosh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The emotional 911 call following the discovery of what Orlando authorities believe may be the remains of Caylee Anthony.
And an ice storm leaves more than a million homes and businesses without power in the northeast. Now the west coast is getting ready for the big chill.
A lot to get to. Hi, everybody. I'm Alina Cho, in for Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with us. You are in the CNN Newsroom and we start with defiance in the windy city. Scandal with an Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich so far has not said he will resign, despite explosive allegations of corruption. The governor is accused of trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat. He's been shunning interviews but our own Drew Griffin caught up with him exclusively.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Drew Griffin with CNN. Can you say anything to the people of Illinois, sir?
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH: I will at the appropriate time.
GRIFFIN: Are you going to resign sir?
BLAGOJEVICH: I will have a lot to say at the appropriate time.
GRIFFIN: Governor, are the authorities right in their criminal complaint. Did you do what you said you did? Governor, just 30 seconds for anybody, the state of Illinois?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Certainly a valiant effort. Here's Drew Griffin's full report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In perhaps a sign he has nowhere else to turn for help, pastors at the local churches showed up at the governor's door, emerging to say they came to offer support.
LEONARD BARR, FELLOWSHIP MISSONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: I prayed with my governor. He called me.
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): What was your prayer?
BARR: He continues to be a great governor. Stay the course.
GRIFFIN: The governor waved to the press and waved off any questions as to what he is going to do. At the downtown office building where the governor works, Illinois attorney general announced she had filed a motion with the state supreme court to have the governor stripped of his power.
WKISA MADIGAN, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: We think it is very clear he is incapable of serving and we are certainly hopeful that the Illinois Supreme Court will hear this matter and appoint Lieutenant Governor Quinn as the acting governor.
GRIFFIN: Behind the scenes, the legislature is gearing up to start their own removal procedures. Meeting on Monday, the house and senate are expected to take up motions to strip the governor of his ability to name a U.S. Senator to the vacant seat prosecutors say he was trying to sell. And Democratic house members are circulating this letter, asking colleagues to join them in impeaching the governor. But that will take time. Politicians agree the best thing for the state is for the governor to resign, and while his accused chief of staff, John Harris, did submit his letter of resignation, the governor, apparently, is still on the job working and not telling his press secretary much else.
LUCIO GUERRERO, BLAGOJEVICH'S PRESS SECRETARY: People are trying to deal with today's issues as opposed to what's going on this whole week.
GRIFFIN: In the meantime, we still are waiting for the list of contacts between president-elect Obama's transition team and Governor Blagojevich's office, and also Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff for president-elect Obama, continues to remain silent on his role in talking with Governor Blagojevich.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: A lot to talk about. Our Elaine Quijano is in Chicago with some new developments about other players in the investigation. Elaine, good to see you. A Chicago trib article out today suggests that Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, had conversations with Governor Blagojevich about who might take Obama's Senate seat. Our Jessica Yellin is reporting, as you know, that's in line with what would happen for a close adviser to talk to the governor about who might replace Obama. So what's the problem here? What do you make of this?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the problem here is we had not heard this from the president-elect himself, nor have we heard this from Rahm Emanuel himself. Keep in mind, this is a president-elect who campaigned on the very notion of transparency, and here we are now, it is Saturday. This arrest of Governor Blagojevich happened on Tuesday. All of this has really had a chance to circulate, bounce around, if you will, that why is it taking so long for the president-elect and his team to come out and just lay out what contacts there may have been between members of his team and members of the governor's office.
Again, we should note, as you just said, there is absolutely nothing wrong, in fact it would be expected for there to be contact between the two camps about a successor for that Senate seat. But the longer these questions remain unanswered, the more it just sort of fuels speculation. Why is it taking so long to get that list out?
CHO: I believe we had a no comment from Rahm Emanuel today. Let's talk a little bit further about going forward with respect to Blagojevich. He has not said he will resign. There's no indications that is imminent according to our Drew Griffin. Elaine, I'm just wondering, there are several options out on the table. A lot of people are talking about that. So what are they?
QUIJANO: That's right. By far certainly the easiest everybody here in Illinois agrees would be for the governor to just step down. They say that would be the fastest way to go. It would be the simplest way to go. The other option we heard Drew lay out in his piece has already started to take place in that the Illinois state attorney general Lisa Madigan has gone ahead and asked the state supreme court to declare that Blagojevich is unfit to serve. That is her argument.
Another option, we might be seeing this start to take place, take shape next week. That is when the Illinois state legislature is going to be meeting. They have a couple of avenues they can pursue. First, they can decide to hold special elections or they can decide to go ahead with impeachment proceedings. The problem with those options, they could be lengthy and take a few months. Everyone agrees what the state of Illinois needs right now is for something more immediate to happen. Again, the bottom line here, when you talk to lawmakers and politicians here, the things that they all agree on is that it would just be best for the governor of the state of Illinois to resign.
CHO: And Elaine one quick question before we let you go. I think it's important to keep in mind that Blagojevich, as long as he is governor still technically has the authority to appoint a successor to Obama's seat, right?
QUIJANO: That's exactly right. Another thing that could happen is when the Illinois state legislature decides to meet; they could try to pass the law to get that power away from the governor. Now, follow me a little bit here. It's a little bit complicated. Let's just say that the governor is removed from power, right, and he's still, though, the office of the governor still retains that ability to choose a senator. There you could have a situation where the lieutenant governor decides to go ahead and name a senate successor, really complicated now. Again the consensus here in the state is really the ball is in the governor's court, and they all want him to step down for the good of the state.
CHO: There also could be a special election, and Representative Jane Schakowsky, who has been floated as a person who could replace Obama, will join us in the next hour.
Elaine Quijano, live from Chicago. Thank you.
And he's facing such serious allegations that he is ignoring the chorus of voices calling on him to resign. Some people are wondering then, is Rod Blagojevich dealing with a full deck? We'll take a look at that in our next half hour.
No one has been more vocal about wanting Barack Obama's senate seat than Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. His aides even commissioned a poll saying he would have the strongest support. But did he talk with the governor about a quid pro quo deal? In an interview with CNN's Don Lemon, Jackson said he is adamant he did nothing wrong.
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DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When you met with the governor on Monday, what did you discuss?
REP. JESSE JACKSON JR, (D) ILLNOIS: I presented him my credentials. A notebook, which I'm prepared to give anybody a copy of.
LEMON: No discussion at all of quid pro quo or anything like that? Was there a discussion?
JACKSON: I have nothing to offer, nothing to offer but my record of public service. That's how I have conducted myself for 13 1/2 years and I did that day as well.
LEMON: That's all you discussed?
JACKSON: That's all we discussed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And you can catch more of Don's exclusive interview with Jesse Jackson Jr. That's coming up in our next half hour at 3:30 Eastern Time.
And we should mention, too, that our Josh Levs has been taking e-mails on just how much you trust government. The response has been overwhelming. We will talk to Josh in a couple of minutes and he will be sharing those e-mails with us.
Help is on the way for America's struggling automakers. The Bush administration is promising to act now but a senior White House official tells CNN that no action is expected over the weekend. CNN's Kate Bolduan is live in Washington with the very latest. When might we see some action on this, Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a big question. A senior White House official told me Alina, that they are staying pretty tight-lipped about timing because anything involving rescuing the auto industry is market sensitive. But two senior administration officials do tell CNN that President Bush is thinking about possibly this weekend or next week tapping tarp funds to help struggling automakers. This comes after weeks of debate and negotiations on Capitol Hill that broke down over Republican demands for auto worker wage cuts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN (voice over): From shock --
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): We were incapable of coming up with an answer --
BOLDUAN: To placing blame for the senate's failure Thursday night, to agree on an emergency loan for the auto industry.
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D): No matter what they came back with, unless it was everything, the Republicans, that handful wanted this deal was not going to go forward.
BOLDUAN: Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Chris Dodd are putting the fault squarely on Republicans, suggesting the GOP is putting the burden on the backs of auto workers. The president of the auto workers union agrees. RON GETTELFINGER, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: They thought perhaps they could have a two-fer here maybe. Pierce the heart of organized labor while representing foreign brands.
BOLDUAN: The UAW is pointing to geography as a reason for the collapse in negotiations. More than a third of the senators, both Republican and Democrat, voting against the bill come from southern, nonunion states where foreign auto companies have plants. Republicans are firing back. Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, the lead negotiator for senate Republicans, suggests the UAW, a large voting block for the Democratic Party, is the cause of the breakdown.
SEN. BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE: The only way a bill is going to pass out of the senate and house on the Democratic side was for the UAW to say, we released you to vote for this. I hate to be so blunt but that's politics, OK.
BOLDUAN: Now this collapse really came back to the sticking point of a date, when to reduce wages for the auto workers? Republicans wanted a date certain in the next year but Democrats and union leaders said no, insisting they wouldn't make the change before their union contracts were up in 2011. Now, for the White House's part, a senior White House official does tell me that right now the reviewing data on the automakers' financial situation before considering what options they have for helping the auto companies.
CHO: So interesting that the $700 billion bailout for the banks passed so quickly and there's so much fighting over the $14 billion for the auto industry. I know one politician said, you know, Capitol Hill is just sick of baiting out everybody. Well will have to see what happens.
BOLDUAN: It does sound like an emotional response they're having but that is a part of what we have been hearing on Capitol Hill. There is bailout fatigue and many lawmakers had been really getting an earful from their constituents for their vote of the first bailout, and I think that's why lawmakers are being very critical or have been very critical this time around.
CHO: These are tax dollars, of course.
BOLDUAN: Exactly. They should be critical.
CHO: Kate Bolduan in Washington. Kate, as always, thank you.
President-elect Obama said keeping people in their homes will be one of his main goals as president. Today he named the man who could help lead that push. His nominee for secretary of Housing and Urban Development. His name is Shaun Donovan and he's currently New York City's housing commissioner. Obama said Donovan led the effort to create the largest housing program in the nation, helping hundreds of thousands buy or rent homes. The president-elect said one in ten Americans who owns a home is in some form of distress. The most ever recorded.
It's an icy mess in the northeast. Brutal ice storm toppled trees and power lines, leaving more than 1 million customers in the cold and dark and power is expected to be out for days in some parts. The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire have declared states of emergency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): We have been in the house, once the trees started coming down, we couldn't get out.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): We haven't seen the truck yet. When they get here, I guess they get here.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): The storm's going to take a few weeks to clean up.
CHO: Heavy rain from that storm did this to a small airport in Connecticut. Doesn't look bad there but look inside. Three inches of water seeped into the check-in area. Workers tried to push and vacuum it out but they had little success. It was a big mess. Thankfully, just one flight was canceled.
In the northwest, the big problem is snow. Blizard warnings up in several states including Montana and North Dakota. Both coasts feeling the chill of the season. CNNs Jacqui Jeras has the details in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Jacqui, it is going to be frigidly cold in the northwest, isn't it?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, it is cold by anybody's standards. The door has been opened to the arctic and this air is the coldest we have seen thus far. And it's really downright dangerous for so many people. Here you can see the front in place and where there the worse of the conditions are today, on top of that bitter cold, high pressure is holding tough here in the east so we have a big gradient between the low and the high. Meaning the winds are going to be very strong and that's why we are looking at blizzard conditions. You have been seeing nasty conditions across the Pacific Northwest.
Now that cold air is filtering in and a new low develops, we are going to be seeing snow levels even lower than they were the first go around. And we're likely going to be seeing snow even onto the valley floors and into the beach areas of the Pacific Northwest. Check out the big red map we have behind me here today. This is where all of the warnings are in place and the covers really a good chunk of the western part of the country.
Here you can see snow where it's been coming down into the Cascades. We have already had 6 to 12 inches of snow and we're anticipating maybe another 2 to 18 on top of what we already have. There you can see the Portland area, yeah, that's white for you. Winter storm watches have been posted, as several inches of snow can be expected into the Portland metro area. That's a little bit on the unusual side.
We are looking for wind chill indices to be between 30 and 50 degrees below zero as this front comes on through. If you think this feels bad what we're experiencing here today, just wait until Monday morning when you're not even going to see temperatures on the thermometer make it below zero.
CHO: Jacqui, it was not like that when I was growing up outside Portland, Oregon. That is colder than usual. Jacqui Jeras, thank you.
Defense Secretary Bill Gates makes an unannounced trip to Iraq at a critical time. What he said about the draw down of troops and staying on at the Pentagon under Barack Obama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. Defense Secretary Robert Gates paying a visit to Iraq today, assuring troops that their mission remains important during the transition of power in Washington. CNNs Michael Ware has more from Baghdad.
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MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.s. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates touched down in Iraq Saturday afternoon local time for discussions with his top commanders in the field here in the war. The secretary said that while U.S. troop numbers will start to go down in Iraq, he was nonetheless heartened by president-elect Obama's comments recently that the president-elect will be listening to the commanders as to decide the timing of that drawdown.
The secretary referred to the crucial phase of the war that Americans now hear in Iraq. As he spoke about why he chosen to stay on with the new Obama administration.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are a lot of reasons to accept that president-elect Obama's request to stay on as secretary of defense. Among others, the crucial next phase we're entering here in Iraq. Plus the forces in Afghanistan and top choices in a tough economy, and the Pentagon needs to make regardless of the priorities, a wounded war carrier system that still needs more work. But I will tell you that no reason was more compelling to me was the fact that hundreds of thousands of young Americans were doing their duty.
WARE: But that duty was to continue, Secretary Gates told the troops around him, as America's enemies in Iraq remain resilient and there was much yet to be done.
Michael Ware, Baghdad.
CHO: Four British royal marines have been killed in explosions in southern Afghanistan. And Britain's prime minister is expressing outrage, saying a 13-year-old boy was used to carry out one of the attacks. Britain says the blast killed three marines during a routine operation against enemy forces. Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke about the attack today during an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: For the Taliban to engage in such cowardly behavior, that means that our 30-year-old young boy is used to kill British troops, is something that will offend public opinion, not just in Afghanistan and Britain but right across the world. My thoughts are with the families of all of those who have suffered this grievous loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: A Taliban spokesman denied the group used a child in that or any other attack. He said the group has enough of its own fighters ready to sacrifice their lives.
Sounds of protests in Athens, Greece, today. Teenagers gathered outside parliament to mark one week since the police killing of a teen. The officer says he was just trying to defend himself from a gang of youth, and that the boy was killed accidentally. Candles spelling out the teen's name Alex were left in front of the line of police who were guarding the building.
Well hope that one day little Caylee Anthony would be found alive is all but gone. We will talk to a reporter who has covered the story since the beginning. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: The Caylee Anthony case in Florida took a dramatic turn this week with the discovery of a child's remains near the Anthony home six months after the little girl went missing. Here's the chilling 911 call.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Yes, this is Orange County utility emergency dispatch. We found a human skull.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Oh, my gosh.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I know. We have -- is it a meter reader?
(UNIDENTIFED MALE): Yes.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I will let you speak with the representative from our field services. Everything is recorded. Here he is.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): How are you doing? A skull and we believe it's human.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): What is the location?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Right off suburban and check this out in the Caylee Anthony area.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Oh!
CHO: Incredible. Caylee Anthony was just 2 years old when she vanished in June. Her mother did not tell anyone she was missing for a month. Casey Anthony is now charged in her daughter's murder. Lawyers for the 22-year-old mother insists she's innocent. WFTV reporter Kathy Belich has been covering this case from the beginning. She is a frequent quest on CNN's Nancy Grace. She's with us by phone in Orlando. Kathy, thank you very much for joining us. The big question, are these skeletal remains that of Caylee Anthony? If so, what are your sources saying about when we will know for sure?
KATHY BELICH, ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Well, the autopsy has not been completed yet. The remains are still with the medical examiner's office here in Orange County. Investigators are still at the scene working today, could be there tomorrow. And it's possible when they conclude their processing of the crime scene over the weekend that the remains will be sent to the FBI lab in Quantico. And we have been told it could be a week to two weeks before we find out for sure.
CHO: But all signs point to the likely fact that this is Caylee's remains, correct?
BELICH: That's what I think most people believe. I think you can even judge by the reaction that Casey Anthony and her family have had to this that many people believe that that is the case, yes.
CHO: I understand there were some -- the skull find is consistent with a small child of Caylee's age and there were hair samples as well. Investigators are combing through the Anthony home, the home of the grandparents, where the mother and daughter lived as well. What are they hoping to find?
BELICH: I know they have taken, they have taken a vacuum, they have taken a pillow, and they have taken pesticides and they have taken pool chemicals. They would be looking for hair or fibers or residues from chemicals that were used in the home. They are being very quiet about what exactly they've taken. We know of a few items but they are not giving us more specifics than that.
CHO: There's last one report that said there was duct tape over the mouth and obviously each plastic bag had a specific brand and style number. But I understand that duct tape and plastic bags also have lot numbers as well, so that sort of can be narrowed down even further, isn't that right?
BELICH: That is right. And they would be looking for those things in the home as well, and it is true that there was duct tape, on the skull, there was still tissue attached to the skull and duct tape attached to that tissue. It's possible the duct tape could also provide some fingerprints and some other fibers of whoever applied that duct tape. So that's very important evidence as well.
CHO: Duct tape is certainly a near-perfect surface for fingerprints. Kathy Belich, WFTV reporter calling us in from Orlando. Kathy thank you.
Our news across America begins in Woodburn, Oregon, where a second person has died from a bomb blast. Police say two officers and a bomb technician were investigating a suspicious device that was planted outside a bank when it went off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GREGG HASTINGS, OREGON STATE POLICE: The first one was determined not to be dangerous, and so the second one is the one which did detonate.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It went off?
HASTINGS: Yes, that was the one that resulted -- the explosion resulted in the death of the two officers and critical injury to the chief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Among the dead, a Woodburn police captain and the bomb technician. The town's chief of police is alive but in critical condition.
The release of two hostages brings a day-long disturbance to an end at a privately-run prison in West Texas. The uprising over the quality of medical treatment happened yesterday at the Reeves County Detention Center in Pecos. Inmates reportedly set fire to a recreation area and took a pair of employees hostage. Both were released last night as authorities reassumed control of the low-security lockup.
Four consecutive sentences of life in prison without parole, that's a portion of the judgment that a Georgia judge handed convicted courthouse killer, Brian Nichols, just this morning. The 37-year-old Nichols was convicted of more than 50 counts for killing four people during his 2005 escape from Atlanta's Fulton County Courthouse, one of whom was court reporter Julie Brandau.
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TRUDY BRANDAU, VICTIM'S SISTER: My sister is here today with us. Her spirit fills the room and it did when she was alive and entered any room. She hears us and knows that through our words today she's being honored, being honored in a court of law, exact place where she worked, loved to come to work. The place where she died. I can leave today happier knowing that she knows.
Julie, hear us. We love you and honor you, today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Nichols was spared the death penalty because the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on that. The judge said he would sentence Nichols to even more time if he could.
And a trio of armed robbery suspects went out with a blaze late last night near Los Angeles. Take a look at that video, though, their get- away car caught fire during an unsuccessful attempt to elude police. All three suspects were nabbed. The lone male suspect led cops on a foot chase before ultimately giving up.
Well, if you're a Chicago politician, the one thing you don't want right now is any connection with the governor of Illinois. Just ask Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP JESSE JACKSON (D), JR., ILLINOIS: I'm fighting now for my character, and I'm also fighting for my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Don Lemon's exclusive and emotional interview with the Illinois lawmaker, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. wants to clear any hint of scandal from his name. He has been identified as Senate candidate five in the criminal complaint against Illinois governor rod Blagojevich. And according to legal documents, Blagojevich said candidate five engaged in a discussion through an emissary about raising money for the governor in exchange for the Senate position. Jackson sat down with our own Don Lemon for an exclusive CNN interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACKSON: I presented him my credentials -- a notebook, which I am prepared to give anyone a copy of, that has my bio in it, legislation that I've passed, the Rasmussen Poll, the Zogby Poll, how I think I can win in 2010 and how a team of Democrats -- because this is about the top of the ticket in 2010 -- can win reelection for Democrats in 2010. That's very, very important.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No discussion at all of quid pro quo or anything like that? Was there a discussion?
JACKSON: I have nothing to offer. Nothing to offer, but my record of public service. That's how I've conducted myself for 13-and-a-half years. And I did that day, as well.
LEMON: That's all you discussed?
JACKSON: That's all we discussed.
LEMON: Do you think it's still possible for you to get this job that you want?
JACKSON: Well, let me tell you what I have been doing. The "Sun- Times"...
LEMON: Yet, you think it's still possible?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope so. We hope so.
LEMON: Why don't you...
JACKSON: Let me -- let me -- let me -- before you answer that, let me say that -- because I respect my wife's opinion on this. I've been fighting corruption in the State of Illinois from day one, for 13 years. The "Sun-Times," in an endorsement of me, said: Congressman Jackson is the rare official who -- Democratic official who has spoken out against corruption in the state and in the city. I'm the same person I was when the "Sun-Times" endorsed me for the November 4 general election, fighting against corruption. It has stopped businesses from coming to our state. At a time when the economy needs help and people need help, corruption in the state has been challenging.
So, on this question of being in the United States Senate or not, let me be perfectly clear. While I would be honored to serve the people of this state, it is clear to me that I am in no capacity to serve them if there is a cloud over my head that seems to suggest I am involved in some unscrupulous scheme to be a United States senator or to be anything else.
And so, it's very important for me to allow this process to play itself out. I need to find out and we all need to find out the truth, which is why I've encouraged everyone to fully cooperate with the United States attorney's office and provide the good men and women of our Justice Department all of the information and the data that they need.
Because when the process is over, I profoundly hope that the people will give me my name back. And right now, it's bantered about in columns and in blogs and people can say what they want to say, but when it's over, I want everyone to remember that I would like my name back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Hear more of Don Lemon's exclusive interview with Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. That's tonight at 11:00 Eastern Time, right here on CNN.
Not governing himself? Well Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's words and actions have caused some people to question his mental capacity. CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mind of Rod Blagojevich is being discussed in polite company.
The president-elect.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I can't presume to know what was in the mind of the governor.
TUCHMAN: The Illinois attorney general.
LISA MADIGAN, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: And I'm not qualified, you know, to make any psychological diagnosis, but, you know, clearly something's wrong.
TUCHMAN: What do you say about a governor who knows he's been under investigation for years, yet says something like this just this week?
BLAGOJEVICH: I don't care whether you tape me privately or publicly. I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful. TUCHMAN: But then prosecutors say they caught the Democratic governor on tape saying this about his chance to appoint someone to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat: "I've got this thing, and it is bleeping golden. And I am just not giving it up for [bleeping] nothing."
Well, here's what another fellow Democratic, a state senator, says.
MIKE JACOBS (D), ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR: I think, at the very least, he's having some kind of mental breakdown.
TUCHMAN: And he exclaimed that before this all went down, when he was summoned into the governor's office and said he wouldn't support a bill that Blagojevich wanted.
JACOBS: The governor blew up at me and he began to make threats to me, including, you know: I will destroy you, I will destroy you personally, I will destroy your family, I will (EXPLETIVE DELETED) do whatever I have to do to make sure that you end up in a bad position in Illinois.
TUCHMAN: The governor, who has not commented to CNN, has had agreements with reporters in the past.
BLAGOJEVICH: And you're not just interested in sensationalizing something so you can do your big news story, you wouldn't even bother asking a question.
QUESTION: But, Governor...
TUCHMAN: Here is what other state politicians have said.
Representative Joe Lyons and other fellow Democrats said the governor was, "insane." And Democratic Representative Jack Franks says Blagojevich has "delusions of grandeur."
But they're not psychologists.
Dr. Gail Saltz of New York Presbyterian Hospital is.
DR GAIL SALTZ, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: I would say it is highly likely there is some mental or emotional issue that this man is dealing with.
TUCHMAN: A true diagnosis needs a face-to-face assessment. But Dr. Saltz and Chicago psychologist Dr. Scott Ambers share the feeling the governor is no insane and does know right from wrong, but...
DR SCOTT AMBERS, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: He probably does suffer from some form of psychopathology; some form of psychiatric disturbance, which I think is best captured by a diagnosis called narcissistic personality disorder.
TUCHMAN: Which, in plain English, they say, is exaggerated or grandiose fantasies of one's self, which isn't that uncommon of a condition. This "Chicago Tribune" reporter thinks it is much simpler, though. JOHN KASS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE: He is merely a Chicago politician who was caught on tape.
TUCHMAN: But recent comments like this...
BLAGOJEVICH: I'm not interested in the U.S. Senate. I like my job as governor.
TUCHMAN: ...and his own experiences make Senator Jacobs feel much differently.
JACOBS: Well, he got over the top of me and he doubled his fist this way. And, you know, I'm not a shrinking violet myself. I'm a good- sized man, I'm 6'3''. I played football at the University of Iowa. You know, I know when someone is about to strike.
TUCHMAN: The governor did not strike, which indeed sounds like a most sane decision.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And in our next hour, congressman -- Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who's been mentioned as a possible caught for the Senate seat talked with Governor Blagojevich by phone. Is she still interested in the job? Should there be a special election? Does she think the governor should resign? She will be our guest, live from Chicago, in our next hour.
To some people this story out of Illinois is shocking. To others, it is just another political scandal. Our Josh Levs is monitoring your reaction by e-Mail.
This is just extraordinary, Josh, what people are saying.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It is. Yeah, I'll tell you, when I saw it this week, I started wondering how much do Americans trust our elected leaders? We have your chance to weigh in coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: The scandal in Illinois raises an interesting question, how much do you trust your government officials in your area? Well, our Josh Levs is reading your e-mails. Josh, you have gotten hundreds of e- mails and hundreds of iReports. What are people saying?
LEVS: You know what, it's like 95 percent, 96 percent negative. It's really amazing and depressing. You know, and I was thinking about it this week, these are the people we choose and pay to represent us and Americans by and large from what they are telling us do not have a lot of faith in them. It's one of the top questions now at ireports.com. Do you trust your leaders? Here's a good example of a video we got.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERYL LANGDON, BEDFORD, IN: When you're a monopoly, it just lays the ingredients out. It just gives that environment that is susceptible to corruption. It's opportunity to flourish. When you're a monopoly, corruption happens.
We have got some serious house cleaning to do on every level, and we need to change how we run government, because the American people are getting robbed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And Sheryl's anger, I felt by a lot of people, including those e-mailing us, just today. Here's a few we just got today. Let's, zoom in on the board. We're going to start off here Joseph Rutledge from Lathrup Village, Michigan, "I don't believe they can be honest. They tell citizens what they want to hear -- half-truths and none of the facts. They might start off honest, but then realize that we, as Americans, can handle the truth."
Here's another one, "I absolutely do not trust our government, and in particular our Congress."
Let's, quick, let's scroll down to the third one, because this is almost sort of positive, "The vast majority, including those who are elected, appointed or civil servants are honest, often hardworking individuals. Sadly, however, there always be the relative few at every level that are motivated or later corrupted by greed, materialism, (INAUDIBLE) selfish, ego and megalomania." That's from Adrian Harris.
You can let us know what you think, weekends@cnn.com. We're going to keep an eye out for it and we'll bring you more later on today and then again tomorrow. So, there you go, Alina, it is sad, but that's what people are telling us.
CHO: Harsh words, boy, Josh. All right, thank you.
LEVS: Thanks.
CHO: Heartbreak for the holidays. A Utah couple nursed a baby back to health and less than two weeks before Christmas, they're being forced to give him up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Heartbreak for a Utah couple just before Christmas. They will be losing the baby boy they adopted just this year. Dan Rascon, our affiliate of KUTV, has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEATHER LARSON, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: He's our son and they're going to take him from us on Sunday.
DAN RASCON, KUTV REPORTER (voice-over): Heather...
CLINT LARSON, ADOPTIVE FATHER: I can't believe that it's happened.
RASCON: ...and Clint Larson can't bear to think of what's happening to their 6-month-old boy Tallon (ph) whom they adopted at birth. In two days, they will get a knock at their door and Tallon will taken away from them by court order.
H LARSON: We've waited five years for a child. They're taking him right before Christmas and it was going to be his first Christmas with us.
RASCON: Turns out Tallon's mother is a member of the Leech Lake band of Ojibway Indian Tribe and according to court records, when she returned home to the reservation in Minnesota after giving birth in Salt Lake, she changed her mind and wants the baby back.
So on Sunday night, the tribe is coming to pick up Tallon who was born sick because his mother was a drug addict, according to the Larson's.
H LARSON: He was not a well baby and we helped him survive and we didn't bat an eye at the thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
DENISE GARCIA (ph), HEART AND SOUL ADOPTIONS: Shocked and devastated.
RASCON: Denise Garcia who runs Heart and Soul Adoptions says every legal procedure was followed in Tallon's adoption.
GARCIA: Everything was done correctly.
RASCON: The agency and Larsons' attorney argue that Tallon is less than a quarter percent Indian, which means he cannot be claimed or enrolled by the tribal council according to their own constitution. But an attorney for the council says that's not true.
VOICE OF FRANK BIBEAU, TRIBAL COUNCIL'S ATTORNEY: What would be the point of watching out for the parents who's a quarter blood or more and saying we don't care about your children and we'll let other people take your children. Certainly, the child is not the Larson's. The Larson's I don't believe are part Indian at all and this is an Indian child.
RASCON: But to the Larson's, Tallon is their son.
H LARSON: He's our son. He always will be. Whether they take him on Sunday or not, he will always be our son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Now, the tribe claims that the boy was adopted without his father's permission and that the mother signed adoption documents while she was still drugged, shortly after the baby's birth.
Well, she is giving up a high-paying job to devote hours of public service to the white house. We are talking about Michelle Obama, of course, the future first lady. So, here's a question for you. Should the first lady get a paycheck?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, being first lady is one of the highest profile positions in the world, and when Barack Obama takes office next month, his wife, Michelle, will certainly be busy, but unlike the new president, she won't be getting a paycheck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): She'll make history as the nation's first black first lady, but even before her husband's historic win, Michelle Obama was a powerhouse in her own right, an Ivy-League educated lawyer with a six- figure salary. In a month, she'll be moving into a new home and a new full-time job, working for free.
PROF ROBERT THOMPSON, SYRACUSE UNIV NEWHOUSE SCHOOL: I think most Americans, when they hear the phrase "first lady" still think china patterns and tours through the White House.
CHO: Jacqueline Kennedy won an Emmy for her TV tour of the White House. William Howard Taft's wife, Helen, attended cabinet meetings, but she said, only to keep her husband awake. Nancy Reagan had her "just say no campaign," then came Hillary.
SEN HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had tea, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my professional...
CHO: Hillary Clinton redefined the role of first lady, taking on healthcare, traveling the world, yet she was never paid a cent.
LISA CAPUTO, FMR PRESS SECY FOR HILLARY CLINTON: We used to joked that we were a moving public works project. Wherever we would go, there would be new roads paved, literally. She defined that role for herself, and I think in many ways helped pave the ground for future first ladies.
CHO: Like Michelle Obama.
THOMPSON: More and more presidents are going to, I think, have spouses who actually come to the job with a life, with a career, and the kind of things that they do might, in fact, with useful things to employ.
CHO: But a salaried first lady? Some say the pay is in the perks. A big fancy house, first-class travel, elegant dinners, so what does the current office holder think?
LAURA BUSH, CURRENT FIRST LADY: No, I don't think it should be a paid post. The spouse of the president is not an office holder. We were not elect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: There you have it from the current office holder. The Obama's first big event, after moving into the White House will be the annual governor's visit. Now, Michelle Obama will be key in the planning of the event, so it will be a lot of planning, a lot of work, but no pay.
Jacqui Jeras, what do you think about that? I mean, I have to say, I'm more of a rationalist. I have to agree with Laura Bush on this one. You know, there is a lot of tradition in the office of first lady, it is quite an honor. I think if she wasn't elected, she shouldn't be paid.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Unless there's some other appointed position -- I don't know, we're paying for her travel, right?
CHO: But, it is a lot of work. I mean, you know, I don't want to demean that.
JERAS: You got the responsibility when you married him, right?
CHO: And she could go back to work.
JERAS: If that's what she wanted, absolutely.
CHO: All right, what's going on in the weather department?
JERAS: A lot of ugliness out West, Alina.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Thank you, that's my hometown. That's incredible. Bundle up guys, in Portland, Oregon. Jacqui, thank you.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
