"A lot of politicians use political donations as lifestyle enhancements—getting work done on their homes, taking fancy vacations, etc."

Says Andy Shaw of the Better Government Association, a Chicago-based good-government group.

“At the very least they’re bending the rules of campaign finance and sometimes they violate them blatantly. Unfortunately the IRS and state election boards are stretched too thin to investigate. But if you end up under the microscope of the U.S. Attorney that all changes … Jesse Jackson Jr. is not an outlier here, but he’s the one who got caught. There are a lot of politicians who are probably saying ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’”

Chicago politics... another federal prosecutor persecuting somebody... what angle do you want to take here?