Trying to Read Blagojevich; Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Speaks Out; Last Chance for Bailout?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. It is the top of the hour, and I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. On this Saturday, a governor in trouble stands defiant. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is ignoring calls to step down as a controversy swirls over his arrest on corruption charges, including claims he tried to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. He's been identified as "Candidate Number Five," but he says he did absolutely nothing wrong in this whole controversy. We'll have my exclusive conversation with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife. Plus, we have another developing story for you. If there's going to be an auto bailout, it's all up to the president now. We'll get the latest from the White House. And it is not winter yet, but look at this. A huge ice storm batters the Northeast and New England. More than a million homes lose power. It could be days before some areas get any relief. Why don't we start in Illinois with the latest in the dramatic turn of events involving Governor Rod Blagojevich. He is still in office, rejecting calls from across the political spectrum to step down. We got a quick glimpse of him tonight, but he is still saying -- not saying anything publicly. "The Chicago Tribune" reports Rahm Emanuel had discussions with the Blagojevich administration about Barack Obama's Senate successor. Emanuel, of course, is slated to be Obama's White House chief of staff. But the paper did not suggest that Emanuel's talk with the governor included any deal-making about Obama's potential Senate successor. Our Drew Griffin caught up with the governor yesterday as he came out of his attorney's office, and Drew got an exclusive comment on the record.</s>DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Drew Griffin with CNN. Can you say anything to the people of the state of Illinois, sir? Do you have anything to say?</s>GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: I will at the appropriate time, absolutely.</s>GRIFFIN: Are you going to resign, sir?</s>BLAGOJEVICH: I'll have a lot to say at the appropriate time.</s>GRIFFIN: Governor, are the authorities right in their petition -- complaint? Did you do what they say you did? Governor -- just 30 seconds from anybody for the state of Illinois?</s>LEMON: A valiant try from our Drew Griffin in Chicago yesterday. The Illinois governor's words and actions, past and present, have caused some people to question his mental capacity. CNN's Gary Tuchman takes a look.</s>GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mind of Rod Blagojevich is being discussed in polite company. The president-elect...</s>SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I can't presume to know what was in the mind of the governor.</s>TUCHMAN: The Illinois attorney general...</s>LISA MADIGAN, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: And I'm not qualified, you know, to make any psychological diagnosis, but, you know, clearly something's wrong.</s>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?</s>BLAGOJEVICH: I don't care whether you tape me privately or publicly. I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful.</s>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 have 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.</s>MIKE JACOBS, ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR: I think, at the very least, he's having some kind of mental breakdown.</s>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.</s>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</s>TUCHMAN: The governor, who has not commented to CNN, has had agreements with reporters in the past.</s>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.</s>QUESTION: But, Governor...</s>TUCHMAN: Here is what other state politicians have said. Representative Joe Lyons and other fellow Democrats said the governor was -- quote -- "insane." And Democratic Representative Jack Franks says Blagojevich has -- quote -- "delusions of grandeur." But they're not psychologists. Dr. Gail Saltz of New York Presbyterian Hospital is.</s>DR. GAIL SALTZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, THE NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AT WEILL-CORNELL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: I would say it is highly likely there is some mental or emotional issue that this man is dealing with.</s>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...</s>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.</s>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.</s>JOHN KASS, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE": He's merely a Chicago politician who was caught on tape.</s>TUCHMAN: But recent comments like this...</s>BLAGOJEVICH: I'm not interested in the U.S. Senate. I like my job as governor.</s>TUCHMAN: ... and his own experiences make Senator Jacobs feel much differently.</s>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. I know when someone is about to strike.</s>TUCHMAN: The governor did not strike, which indeed sounds like a most sane decision. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Chicago.</s>LEMON: I would like to hear more from John Kass in all of that, the voice of reason. The governor's mental capacity is one of the things I talked about yesterday in Chicago when I sat down with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife in an exclusive interview. Here's what he had a to say.</s>REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. (D), ILLINOIS: That the governor can't perform his functions under the constitution of the state of Illinois, but has clearly violated a number of statutes under our state statutes and potentially federal statutes. And there may be a capacity issue.</s>LEMON: What do you mean?</s>JACKSON: A capacity as in a mental capacity to complete the job. That he cannot function under the duress.</s>LEMON: Congressman Jackson, of course, has found himself in the middle of this huge controversy. He's identified in the criminal complaint against the governor as "Senate Candidate Five," but a law enforcement official close to the investigation tells CNN there's no evidence other than taped remarks by the governor that Jackson or others on his behalf have ever approached Blagojevich in an improper way. Now, as you will see in more of our exclusive conversation, Congressman Jackson is eager to defend himself.</s>LEMON (voice-over): This is what Senate Candidate Number Five, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., woke up to, a "Chicago Tribune" investigation questioning whether two of his campaign contributors, along with Jackson's brother Jonathan, took part in a scheme to raise millions for Governor Rod Blagojevich. In return, he would appoint Jackson to Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat. (on camera): Do you know these businessmen? Have you done business with them? And to your knowledge, were they emissaries at all to raise money for you in order to get you that Senate seat?</s>JACKSON: No, they were not. I made that perfectly clear. And Mr. Niak (ph) also happens to be a friend of the governor. Did I ask him to advocate on my behalf? No. Did I send him as an emissary to me on behalf of the Senate campaign? The answer is no, and that's unequivocal.</s>LEMON (voice-over): Jackson and his wife, Sandy, sat down with me and talked about what they say is the fight of their lives.</s>JACKSON: 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 the 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'm 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.</s>LEMON: Your name is being dragged through the mud.</s>JACKSON: I've got a great name given to me by great parents. And I've got a great father who has a great legacy in public service.</s>LEMON: But</s>JACKSON: It's so great -- it's so great, that I named my daughter Jessica and I named my son Jesse. So I'm fighting now for my character and I'm also fighting for my life. And I'm very serious about that.</s>SANDY JACKSON, JESSE JACKSON JR.'S WIFE: Absolutely. Absolutely. And let me tell you this, Don...</s>J. JACKSON: And I'm fighting for them. And I'm fighting for them. And I'm fighting for them. This is about my children being able to Google their name in five years and there's been nothing there associated with it that suggests anything wrong.</s>LEMON: Do you personally know the Blagojeviches, both of you?</s>S. JACKSON: Yes.</s>LEMON: Do you know them? Do you know them?</s>S. JACKSON: Yes, sure we do.</s>LEMON: Do you know Patty?</s>S. JACKSON: I do.</s>LEMON: What do you make of them?</s>S. JACKSON: Even that surprised me, because I had -- I just never saw that side of Patty. So I was shocked by it. I don't know why she said what she said. I can only think that, you know, she's under an immense amount of stress, whatever was going on in their lives had to be promoting some stress. And so maybe she was reacting to that. I don't know.</s>LEMON: Much, much more on my exclusive conversation with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife at the bottom of the hour, including who or what he says is to blame for all of this mess. Very interesting -- coming up. Now to another developing story tonight. The White House may emerge as the white knight to rescue U.S. automakers from the collapse. Looking at live pictures now of the White House and the Capitol. The Bush administration now says it will consider an emergency plan to the big three by tapping into the $700 billion of your money set aside to help Wall Street. After a $14 billion package was shot down in the Senate, one car customer remarked that President Bush might be the only option left for the big three.</s>MYLANDAR DAVIS, CAR CUSTOMER: I hope this day -- you know, Congress does what they are supposed to do. The Senate is not looking good right now, you know? And President Bush is saying that he'll do what he has to do. So I hope the White House steps up to the plate before he leaves. He only has like a month left, so I hope before he leaves he makes some great decisions.</s>LEMON: All right. Very interesting. Well, tapping into the TARP funds would be an abrupt about-face for this president, and it puts him squarely on the side of congressional Democrats. Our Chris Isidore of CNNMoney.com is in New York with the very latest. How are you doing, sir, today?</s>CHRIS ISIDORE, CNNMONEY.COM SR. WRITER: Oh, fine. Thanks for having me.</s>LEMON: Is the president the last option?</s>ISIDORE: Pretty close to the last opoption. It's probably going to be a very short-term option. I would expect that if he does dip into the TARP money, it will only be for a matter of weeks until the new Congress is sworn in, and that he probably would want it to be repaid before he even leaves office at the end of January.</s>LEMON: All right. So how long does the White House have, then, Chris, to make a decision?</s>ISIDORE: All GM has said is that it will run out of the cash it needs to operate by the end of the month. So that's about three weeks. Whether or not they'll really take it down to the 11th hour or it will be somewhat early this week that we see something, I can't really say.</s>LEMON: To the end of the month? That means two weeks. What is it -- today is the 13th? He's got two weeks.</s>ISIDORE: Right, it's not a long time.</s>LEMON: Yes. And shorter than that, really, because it's holidays, right? So it's not a long time. OK. Then what if the bailout -- what if this fails? Will there be any huge ripple effect here?</s>ISIDORE: If this fails, it will be a huge, huge ripple effect. GM owes its suppliers about $28 billion at the end of the third quarter.</s>LEMON: OK.</s>ISIDORE: If it cannot make those payments, there'll be widespread bankruptcies throughout the supplier base. That will affect every auto manufacturer around the globe, really, because a lot of the suppliers will not be able to make the parts crucial for all types of cars, not just GM, but Toyota's and everything else.</s>LEMON: All right, Chris. More on the ripple effect. Let's take a listen to what one dealership owner had to say about that. And then we'll talk more.</s>JACK FITZGERALD, DEALERSHIP OWNER: So if two-thirds of the cars are made by Detroit, if something happens to Detroit, how are you going to get your car fixed? What's going to happen to the parts? Who is going to supply them? You know, I'm the guy that does that, so you should worry about me.</s>LEMON: All those warranties, those extended warranties, bumper to bumper, computer, everything, it may not be worth the paper it's written on without those guys.</s>ISIDORE: There's a lot of concern about warranties. There's a lot of concern just about being able to get replacement parts in the future. I mean, you can have a great warranty, and if you can't get the part you need, you're out of luck.</s>LEMON: OK. All right. Thank you, sir, for guiding us through this. We appreciate it. Chris Isidore, senior writer, CNNMoney.com. Have a great rest of the weekend. OK?</s>ISIDORE: Thank you. You too.