Scott Helman, "Early Defeat Launched A Rapid Political Climb," The Boston Globe, 10/12/07
State Sen. Emil Jones (D-IL) Currently Serves As President Of The Illinois State Senate. (State Sen. Emil Jones Website, www.ilga.gov, Accessed 7/9/08)
"[S]tate Senate President Emil Jones, Serves Under An Ethical Cloud. He Has Several Family Members On The State Payroll And Uses His Clout To Aid Their Business Interests." (Ron Fournier, "Obama’s Life And Record In Springfield, Ill., Hint At The President He Would Be," The Associated Press, 6/16/07)
- Jones’ Family Has Experienced "Financial Good Fortune," Including His Wife Who Was Promoted By Gov. Blagojevich’s Administration And Given A $70,000 Raise. (Carol Marin, Op-Ed, "Jones Plots Ethics End Run," Chicago Sun-Times, 7/11/07)
- John Sterling, Jones’ Stepson, Has Received "Tens Of Millions Of Dollars" In State And Local Contracts. (Carol Marin, Op-Ed, "Jones Plots Ethics End Run," Chicago Sun-Times, 7/11/07)
Jones Is A "Veteran Of The Rough-And-Tumble World Of Chicago Politics." (Christi Parsons and Ray Long, "Wheeler-Dealer With A Cause," Chicago Tribune, 9/19/04)
"Illinois Senate President Emil Jones … Is About As Old-School As They Come. Just Last Month, The Chicago Democrat Publicly Ridiculed An Attempt To Block A Pay Raise For Legislators By Sarcastically Declaring: ‘I've Got To Get Me Some Food Stamps.’" (Andrew Malcolm, "The Nation Sees One Obama, Chicago Knows Another," Los Angeles Times’ "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, latimesblogs.latimes.com, 6/24/08)
"[Jones] Met Obama When The Community Organizer Was Leading About 30 Picketers To Protest Soaring High-School Dropout Rates." (Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, "Chicago’s Streets Obama’s Teacher," [New York] Newsday, 3/2/08)
"Jones, Now President Of The Illinois State Senate, Helped Launch Obama’s Political Career." (Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, "Chicago’s Streets Obama’s Teacher," [New York] Newsday, 3/2/08)
"When Obama Won A Seat In The Illinois Senate In 1996, Jones, By Then The Chamber’s Democratic Leader, Took A Pronounced Interest In The Younger Man’s Career, Often Giving Him A Spotlight." (Christi Parsons and Ray Long, "Wheeler-Dealer With A Cause," Chicago Tribune, 9/19/04)
- "Under Jones’s Tutelage, Obama Shepherded Some Major Bills Through The State Capitol During His Eight-Year Tenure." (Scott Helman, "Early Defeat Launched A Rapid Political Climb," The Boston Globe, 10/12/07)
"When Obama Praised Jones As ‘My Political Godfather,’ Jones Began Using The Theme Music From ‘The Godfather’ As His Cell-Phone Ringtone." (Ryan Lizza, "Making It," The New Yorker, 7/21/08)
"One Of Obama's Key Moves Came In The Spring Of 2003 … Obama Approached Jones, Told Him He Had The Power To Make A US Senator, And Said He Wanted To Be That Senator." (Scott Helman, "Early Defeat Launched A Rapid Political Climb," The Boston Globe, 10/12/07)
Jones Has Contributed At Least $500 To Obama’s Presidential Campaign And $1,000 To Obama’s Senate Campaign. (CQ Money Line Website, moneyline.cq.com, Accessed 7/10/08)
"Jones Came To View Obama As A Son; Obama Has Called Jones His ‘Political Godfather.’" (Scott Helman, "Early Defeat Launched A Rapid Political Climb," The Boston Globe, 10/12/07)