Nayak's in the federal frying pan. But where's Jesse Jackson Jr.?

June 21, 2012
  • Raghuveer Nayak leaves the federal courthouse in Chicago on Wednesday after his hearing on 19 criminal charges.
Raghuveer Nayak leaves the federal courthouse in Chicago on Wednesday after his hearing on 19 criminal charges. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune)

Does U.S. Rep.Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Bud Light, have any skin left on his teeth?

He sure does have nice teeth. Straight and smiley political teeth. Teeth with ample surface area so a politician could grow enough skin on them to help him escape disaster.

But there can't possibly be any skin there, not on the front two, now that Raghuveer Nayak, his former fundraiser, BFF and the midwife to Triple J's U.S. Senate dreams was arrested and hauled into federal court Wednesday.

Nayak is an Oak Brook businessman who has made millions as the owner of surgery centers. He was indicted on charges of mail fraud, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and filing false income tax returns. He allegedly bribed doctors so they'd send their patients to his facilities. He stood in court with his hands folded behind his back, quietly pleading not guilty to all 19 counts.

But what makes Nayak interesting is that he is the Indian businessman who, prosecutors said, was ready to raise at least $1 million in campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, so Blagojevich would appoint Jackson to fill the then-vacant U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.

A meeting between Nayak and Blagojevich's brother had been set to further discuss the alleged deal. Then in December 2008, the Tribune broke the news that an aide to Blagojevich was wired up by the feds. So the meeting never happened. You can't say what, if anything, would have happened at a meeting that never took place. But now that Nayak is in the federal frying pan, signaling that the Blagojevich investigation is over, how much skin is left on Jackson's pearly whites?

When the news broke years ago about the cash for the Senate seat, Jackson, full of bravado and umbrage, showed up on the WLS' Don Wade and Roma radio program for an interview, denied that he did anything wrong and snarled "Bring it on!" to the feds.

He testified in 2011 in federal court, again saying he knew nothing about the Nayak deal. He also scared a few people in the courtroom, or maybe it was just me, when from the witness stand, and for no apparent reason, Jackson again became rather theatrical. He began channeling Blagojevich doing an Elvis Presley impersonation. Blago loves Elvis.

"Thankyouverymuch," Jackson said, then snapped his fingers like Elvis, forefingers extended, thumbs cocked, in the famous Elvis salute.

In the courtroom, people were either confused, or they cringed, seeing that awkward smile frozen on his face, the teeth, a man terrified, doing Elvis.

"I'm sorry," said Blagojevich's attorney, Aaron Goldstein. "I'm not that familiar with Elvis."

"Well," said Jackson, his voice quite tiny and strained, "you work for someone who is."

Blagojevich is in federal prison now, doing 14 years, letting his hair go natural, lifting weights and making friends. Tony Rezko, the president's real estate fairy, is in prison, doing 101/2 years. And Big Bill Cellini, the de facto Illinois Republican boss who wet his beak with those Democratic deals, is awaiting sentencing on corruption charges.

But Jackson? He's avoiding my calls.

Jackson aide: And your question, Mr. Kass?

Me: Does he still have any skin left on his teeth? That's my question.

I still haven't heard back, but while I waited, I had time to check several online dictionaries, to find the origin of the phrase "to escape by the skin of one's teeth."

The late and famed New York Times wordsmith William Safire, writing his On Language column, mentions it in his Aug. 23, 1998, column:

That's from Chapter 19, Verse 20 of the Book of Job, as the bedeviled innocent man wails, ''My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.'' That's the King James translation of 1611, taken from the Geneva Bible translation of 1560, ''I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.''

But Safire also suggested that the line was most probably an erroneous translation from the Hebrew that had become a familiar part of the language. The main thing is that etymologists agree that teeth have no skin to speak of.

Job, for all you heathens out there, lived a righteous life yet was punished severely so his faith could be put to the test. Jackson, on the other hand, is a Chicago politician.

But Jackson had one thing going for him. Luck. Nayak helped him with political fundraising, and bought airline tickets for Jackson's young female blond friend who posed in bikinis for a living — my favorite shot involved a rather inquisitive dolphin. And Jackson is still making a living in politics.

Doesn't sound very Jobish to me. Jackson escaped. The House Ethics Committee released a critical report in 2009, but it was all bark and no bite, and the Tribune reported online Wednesday that the Nayak indictment most likely signaled an end to the Blagojevich investigation.

Nayak didn't escape. He was released on $10 million bond secured by six properties, including one in Oak Brook and one in Aurora. After he was processed, he tried to skip out of the courthouse, ahead of the news cameras.

But Jackson?

Junior's choppers are gleaming. Skin and all.

Twitter @John_Kass