Reporting with Sarah Ostman
The prosecution is ramping up the Jesse Jackson Jr. portion of the case, playing a series of phone calls in early December where Rod Blagojevich is heard saying he's elevating Jackson as a Senate seat possibility because of a past promise of campaign cash in exchange for appointing Jackson.
Rod Blagojevich tells his brother to contact Raghu Nayak, a fund-raiser who had discussed raising money on Jackson's behalf, and tell Nayak he has to have something "tangible up front."
But then the Chicago Tribune published a report citing unnamed sources who revealed the feds were secretly recording Blagojevich. Prosecutors suggest that the article changed the then-governor's behavior.
Rod Blagojevich, in a panic, tells his brother to cancel the meeting with Nayak -- and he does.
Under cross examination by Robert Blagojevich's defense lawyer, Michael Ettinger, Bedi admits that on the day he met with Robert Blagojevich -- Oct. 28 -- it was Bedi who brought up fund-raising, Jackson and the Senate seat, not the ex-governor's brother.
Bedi was asked if Robert Blagojevich laughed off the suggestion at the Jackson appointment.
"He said it would never happen," Ettinger said of the conversation. "He killed it."
Bedi admitted he set up the meeting with Robert Blagojevich long before he agreed to meet with Jackson.
He also testified to a subsequent meeting with Robert Blagojevich at a Dec. 6 fund-raiser.
Bedi admitted to Ettinger that Robert Blagojevich did not bring up money in connection to the Senate seat then.


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