Emanuel was targeted for extortion

SPRINGFIELD - President Barack Obama's chief of staff and former Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel was targeted for extortion under one of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged plots, according to prosectors and a White House aide.

In a sweeping indictment of Blagojevich, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald refers to a "Congressman A" inquiring in 2006 about the status of a $2 million state grant that had been announced for a local publicly supported school.

According to Fitzgerald, Blagojevich directed his aides not to release the money and sent the message back that the congressman's brother needed to have a campaign fundraiser for Blagojevich.

The indictment says Blagojevich continued to hold up release of the money until his chief of staff told him the school had begun to incur expenses that were to be paid by the grant.

Ultimately, he agreed to release the funds to cover incurred expenses "but only on a delayed basis, even though no fundraiser had been held," the indictment says.

A White House aide confirmed to the Daily Herald late Thursday that Emanuel is "Congressman A"

In 2005, then-Congressman Emanuel joined with Chicago and state education officials in announcing a $2 million grant for The Chicago Academy and Chicago Academy High School in the city's Portage Park neighborhood. Emanuel said at the time that he worked closely with the governor to secure the $2 million.

A local school official confirmed Thursday that there had been delays getting the money but knew nothing of the possible politics at play.

One of Emanuel's brothers, Ari, is a Hollywood agent who, according to his Web site, represents Mark Wahlberg, Larry David, Martin Scorsese and Aaron Sorkin.

• Daily Herald staff writers Joseph Ryan and Rob Olmstead contributed to this report.