The son of a suburban Chicago man who figured prominently in the investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has won a highly competitive White House internship.
Vinay Nayak, who is from Oak Brook and attends Yale, is a 2013 summer intern, according to a list of interns released by the White House on Tuesday.
His father is Raghuveer Nayak, who was a fundraiser for the now-imprisoned Blagojevich.
Federal authorities, in making their case against Blagojevich, alleged it was the elder Nayak who offered to raise up to $6 million in campaign money for the then-governor in exchange for appointing then-Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to the Senate seat that had been held by President Barack Obama.
Dear old dad is awaiting trial in federal court. Meanwhile, it appears Vinay Nayak’s primary qualification for the job, other than daddy, is service to all things Obama.
Vinay Nayak’s LinkedIn profile said he worked in 2012 in the Chicago area for Obama for America , which was Obama’s re-election campaign. The Yale student was digital constituency manager for the campaign from May until last November, the profile said.
In that role, he managed “national digital programs for Young Americans for Obama, Seniors for Obama, People of Faith for Obama, Catholics for Obama, Environmentalists for Obama, and People with Disabilities for Obama ,” the profile said.
The elder Nayak has a long history donating to Obama’s endless campaign dating back to at least 2003 , according to FEC figures.