Chicago sure has a special talent for electing honest politicians.
Would the next corrupt Illinois Democrat please step forward for duty?
Ambitious,
bright and a powerful orator, Jesse Jackson Jr. once saw himself
following in the footsteps of his father and running for president.
Instead, in a crashing end to a once promising career, Jackson followed in the footsteps of the congressman he had replaced. He resigned from Congress in disgrace on Wednesday, just weeks after he won re-election.
In a two-page
letter dated Nov. 21 and tendered to U.S. Speaker of the House John
Boehner, Jackson acknowledged he is cooperating with a federal
investigation into his “activities” and cited a continued battle with
his mental health.
“He couldn’t stop crying, so he couldn’t give a
press conference,” according to a source close to Jackson. “First, he is
not well. He is up and down. When he’s up, he can talk but he breaks
down that’s why he couldn’t conduct the press conference.”
The letter put an end to months of speculation
about the congressman’s future and will offer a respite to a
congressional district — which includes some of the most economically
depressed parts of the state — that has gone without representation for
five months.
The South Shore Democrat has been absent from his
congressional post since June 10, something his family has attributed to
a battle with bipolar depression. He checked into the Mayo Clinic twice
and checked out of the facility most recently one week ago.
A federal investigation into alleged improprieties in Jackson’s finances was active before Jackson took that leave.
“During this journey I have made my share of
mistakes. I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my
activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly,
cooperate with the investigators, and accept responsibility for my
mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone,” Jackson wrote in his
letter.
“None of us is immune from our share of
shortcomings or human frailties and I pray that I will be remembered for
what I did right. It has been a profound honor to serve the
constituents of Illinois’s Second Congressional District.”
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported in October
that Jackson was under federal scrutiny in a financial probe unrelated
to the Rod Blagojevich scandal. Federal authorities as recently as last
week were still examining Jackson’s finances and the review has included
activity involving Jackson’s wife, Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th).
The Sun-Times also first reported that Jackson was
attempting to negotiate a plea deal. His attorneys on Wednesday for the
first time publicly confirmed that he was cooperating and attempting to
find a resolution with authorities. They warned that could take months.
Jackson’s fall from grace is one that has become
all too familiar in a state riddled with similar stories of troubled
politicians — from former governors Blagojevich and George Ryan, who are
simultaneously serving prison terms, to a state representative who was
re-elected after he was indicted on a bribe allegation.
“The crash of Jesse Jackson Jr. Is a tragic end to a
career that once seemed to have no limit. Very sad for him, his family
& constituents,” former White House adviser David Axelrod said in a
Tweet.
Jackson first took his post in a special election
in 1995 — for a seat left vacant by former congressman Mel Reynolds, who
resigned after he was convicted in a sex scandal.
Jackson is the son of the famed civil rights
leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who stood next to the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. on the historic day King was shot to death.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to the media briefly
on Wednesday, saying his son was too upset to make a public address. The
elder Jackson said the family was thankful for the show of concern for
his son’s health.
“That is the most encouraging part of all of this,
throughout all of the pain, people have taken his need to recover
seriously . . . we’re grateful for that,” the Rev. Jackson said.
Privately, the younger Jackson has long been known
to be emotionally fragile. After Blagojevich’s 2008 arrest, the
congressman was identified as a Senate candidate in the then-governor’s
charging papers. Jackson’s longtime friend and donor, Raghu Nayak,
identified as his alleged emissary, was accused of offering what
Blagojevich believed to be a $1.5 million offer to appoint Jackson to
Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat.
In a phone call with the criminal chief in the
Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office the day of Blagojevich’s arrest, Jackson
said the media was outside his house asking if he was going to be
arrested next.
“I’m somewhere between a nervous breakdown and insanity,” Jackson said in the phone call.
Jackson was never charged in the Blagojevich
scandal but the Sun-Times has previously reported that Nayak, in secret
talks with authorities, said it was Jackson who directed an offer to
Blagojevich. Nayak described it as a $6 million offer and said Jackson
also said he could take advantage of his friendship with Obama to
arrange a Blagojevich pardon if it ever were to be necessary.
Jackson has always forcefully denied allegations
tied to Blagojevich. He did, however, admit to having a relationship
with a “social acquaintance,” whom Nayak paid to fly from Washington
D.C. and Chicago at Jackson’s behest.
On Wednesday, at a downtown press conference, Rep.
Bobby Rush said he talked briefly by phone with Jackson early that
morning. He said Jackson sounded “sorrowful.”
“He just said, ‘Bobby, I’m not going to be with you anymore,’ ” Rush said. “I can’t carry this through.”
Lawyers for Jackson said negotiations for a “fair resolution” could take several months.
“Mr. Jackson is cooperating with the investigation.
We hope to negotiate a fair resolution of the matter but the process
could take several months. During that time, we will have no further
comment and urge you to give Mr. Jackson the privacy he needs to heal
and handle these issues responsibly,” according to a statement by Reid
Weingarten and Brian Heberlig, who are in Washington, and Dan K. Webb,
who is in Chicago.
“While I’m sure this was a difficult decision for
Congressman Jackson, now is the time to look forward,” Mayor Rahm
Emanuel said in a statement. “The residents of the 2nd Congressional
District will now have an opportunity to choose their next leader to
fight for all of us in Washington, D.C. My thoughts and prayers are with
the Jackson family and I wish Jesse a healthy recovery.”
The resignation opened the door for a special
election and a flurry of names of possible successors surfaced even
before Jackson’s resignation. They ranged from Kurt Summers, chief of
staff to Cook County Board Commissioner Toni Preckwinkle, to Sam Adam
Jr., the former Blagojevich attorney.
Adam, however, ultimately is unlikely to seek the bid.
Cook County Clerk David Orr said he and his
counterparts in Chicago, and Will and Kankakee counties — the four areas
included in the 2nd Congressional District — want the special election
held April 9, along with a primary on Feb. 26. The suburban areas all
have elections already scheduled for those dates. By law, Gov. Pat Quinn
has five days to schedule the election, which would have to be held
within 115 days of Jackson’s resignation Wednesday. That would place the
election no later than March 16.
Asked to react to the “mistakes” Jackson cited in
his letter, Quinn told reporters Wednesday afternoon he respected the
congressman for stepping forward and taking responsibility for missteps
but sidestepped entirely any direct mention of a federal investigation.
“There’s no question that the Jackson family and
Congressman Jackson, in particular, made significant contributions to
the state of Illinois,” Quinn said. “And, if there were mistakes made by
the congressman, he’s taken responsibility for those, and that’s what
accountability is all about. All of us have to be accountable, and we
have to be folks who serve the community,” the governor said.
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said “for elected
officials, I think the only thing you take from this is the need for
greater transparency and accountability.” With low public approval
ratings of Congress, “It is very hard to lead without the publics’
trust.”
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