Lobbyist Points Finger at Robbins : Trial: Clayton Jackson denies offering bribe. He says the ex-senator tried to extort money from him.

Lobbyist Clayton R. Jackson on Monday vigorously denied offering a $250,000 bribe to then-state Sen. Alan Robbins, testifying at his federal corruption trial that it was Robbins who sought to extort the money from him in June, 1991.

“I left his office as quickly as possible,” Jackson testified, later adding “I was stunned. . . . I never heard anything like that before in the legislative process.”

Still, Jackson acknowledged that he remained in regular contact with Robbins about legislation and did not report the alleged extortion attempt to authorities.

In response to a question by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia, Jackson said he felt compelled to continue the conversations with Robbins, citing the pivotal role Jackson was playing in workers’ compensation legislation on behalf of his insurance industry clients.

In his first day on the stand in his defense, Jackson conceded that in a secretly recorded breakfast meeting he appears willing to make a $250,000 payment to Robbins, but maintained it was only “in order to mollify an extortionist.”

Jackson, 50, is charged with 10 counts of racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering. His co-defendant, former state Sen. Paul B. Carpenter, 65, who represented parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, faces 11 counts of conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Both have pleaded not guilty.

In late 1991, Robbins pleaded guilty and resigned from office after cooperating with the government and secretly wearing a recording device to tape Jackson. Robbins is serving a two-year sentence in prison.

Robbins, a Democrat who represented part of the San Fernando Valley, has been a key government witness against Jackson during the trial, now in its fourth week. Robbins testified that, for at least a decade, he received money from Jackson in exchange for official action on legislation.

Robbins testified that Jackson sought to bribe him to switch the jurisdiction of workers’ compensation legislation to his Senate Insurance, Claims and Corporations Committee.

Jackson sought to undermine Robbins’ testimony, contending it was the former lawmaker who initially raised the subject of switching committee jurisdiction.

Jackson, whose lobbying firm was paid $2 million a year by corporate clients, said Robbins broached the committee jurisdiction issue during a conversation in June, 1991--after Robbins agreed to cooperate with authorities but before he began secretly recording conversations.

A lobbyist for two decades, Jackson testified that he told Robbins such a switch was “preposterous” and that no one in the Democratic leadership would be able to make the change.

Jackson said he distanced himself from Robbins and that during the four months he was secretly recorded by the lawmaker, his clients contributed $100,000 to the campaigns of various legislators but “not a dime” to Robbins.

Jackson also testified that Robbins sought to get him to use his influence with former U.S. Sen. John Seymour to block the appointment of a tough U.S. attorney in Sacramento who would be in the position to prosecute the legislator.

Jackson said he played along with Robbins “to get him off my back” but never talked to Seymour about the appointment of George O’Connell as U.S. attorney in Sacramento.

Seymour testified Monday that he never talked to Jackson about the appointment of O’Connell, who eventually became U.S. attorney.