Didn't quite measure up:
"Amid federal inquiries, Jesse Jackson Jr. leaves House" by Henry C. Jackson and Sophia Tareen |
Associated Press, November 22, 2012
CHICAGO — US Representatiave Jesse Jackson Jr.
quietly resigned
Wednesday, effectively ending a once-promising political career months
after the civil rights icon’s son went on a
mysterious medical leave
while facing separate federal inquiries.
Just two weeks after voters reelected him to a ninth full term,
Jackson sent his letter of resignation to House Speaker John Boehner,
citing his
ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder and admitting ‘‘my
share of mistakes.’’
The House Ethics Committee is investigating his dealings with
imprisoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, and for the first
time Jackson publicly acknowledged reports of a new federal inquiry
thought to be reviewing his possible misuse of campaign money....
Jackson first took office in 1995 after winning a special election in
a largely urban and Democratic district and began his career in
Washington with a star power and pedigree that set him apart from his
hundreds of other House colleagues.
But despite high expectations, he largely went unnoticed as a policy
maker. Instead, he gained a reputation for
quixotic pursuits such as
trying to impeach President George W. Bush and push through
constitutional amendments that had no chance.
Hmmmmmmmmm!
He attended an elite private school in Washington and earned a law degree and a master’s in theology.
Over the years he boasted about spending his 21st birthday in jail
after being arrested in an antiapartheid protest, co-wrote books with
his father, and developed his own charismatic speaking style. Shortly after taking office, he was
deemed People magazine’s Sexiest
Politician in 1997 and became one of the most outspoken and most quoted
liberals in the House.
There was a
near-Hollywood buzz over his svelte new figure in 2005
when he quietly dropped 50 pounds, disclosing months later that he had
had weight-loss surgery.
Perhaps his
shining moment as a Democratic leader was in 2008, when
Jackson served as the national co-chair of Barack Obama’s presidential
campaign. He had his sights set on US senator or Chicago’s mayor.
Then came Blagojevich.
Related: Saying Goodbye to Blago
You say goodbye, I say hello.
Though
never charged, Jackson had to repeatedly
dodge allegations
that he was involved in talks about raising campaign funds for the
now-jailed former governor in trade for appointment to Obama’s vacated
US Senate seat.
Jackson — who testified at Blagojevich’s second corruption trial —
has
always maintained that he was innocent and that his name would be
cleared.
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"Jesse Jackson Jr., wife will plead guilty" by Pete Yost | Associated Press, February 16, 2013
WASHINGTON — In a spectacular fall from political prominence, former US Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife agreed Friday to
plead guilty to federal charges growing out of what prosecutors said was a scheme to
use $750,000 in
campaign funds for
lavish personal expenses, including a $43,000 gold watch and furs....
The son of a famed civil rights leader, Jackson, a Democrat, entered Congress in 1995 and resigned last November. Sandi, as his wife is known, was a Chicago alderman, but resigned last month amid the federal investigation.
Several messages left with Jackson’s father, the voluble civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, were not returned Friday.
Jackson used campaign money to buy such things as a $43,350 gold-plated men’s Rolex watch and $9,587.64 worth of children’s furniture, according to court papers filed in the case.
His wife spent $5,150 on fur capes and parkas, the document said.
‘‘I offer no excuses for my conduct, and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made,’’ the former congressman said in a written statement released by his lawyers.
The prosecutors’ court filing said that upon conviction, Jackson must forfeit $750,000, plus tens of thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia items and furs.
Published reports said Jackson could face 46 to 57 months in prison under sentencing guidelines, but there was no immediate confirmation of what, if any, sentence he and prosecutors had agreed to recommend.
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Something must happen to people when they go to that place.
"Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty in campaign case" by Frederic J. Frommer and Pete Yost | Associated Press, February 21, 2013
WASHINGTON — Former US representative Jesse Jackson Jr.,
holding back tears, entered a
guilty plea Wednesday in federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces 46 to 57 months in prison, and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000, under a plea deal with prosecutors.
Boo-hoo.
A few hours later, his wife, Sandra Jackson, pleaded guilty to filing false joint federal income tax returns that
knowingly understated the income the couple received. She faces one to two years in prison and a fine of $3,000 to $40,000.
In a 17-page prosecution document, Jackson’s wife admitted that from mid-2006 through mid-October of last year, she
failed to report $600,000 in income that she and her husband earned from 2005 to 2011.
Before entering the plea to a
conspiracy charge, Jesse Jackson told US District Judge Robert L. Wilkins, ‘‘I’ve never been more clear in my life’’ in his decision to plead guilty.
When Wilkins asked if Jackson committed the acts outlined in court papers, Jackson replied, ‘‘I did these things.’’ He added later, ‘‘Sir, for years I lived in my campaign,’’ and used money from the campaign for personal use.
Jackson, 47, dabbed his face with tissues, and at one point a court employee brought some tissues to Jackson’s lawyer, who gave them to the former congressman. Jackson told the judge he was waiving his right to trial.
Come on!
‘‘In perfect candor, your honor, I have
no interest in wasting the taxpayers’ time or money,’’ he said.
Or suffer further public embarrassment.
US Attorney Ronald Machen called the guilty plea ‘‘nothing short of tragic.’’
‘‘Jesse Jackson Jr.
entered public life with unlimited potential, but
squandered his bright future by engaging in a
self-destructive course of conduct that was staggering in both degree and scope,’’ Machen said. ‘‘For seven years, Mr. Jackson betrayed the very people he inspired by stealing their campaign donations to finance his extravagant lifestyle.’’
Jackson had been a Democratic congressman from Illinois from 1995 until he resigned last November. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 28, and his wife on July 1. Wilkins, who presided over both guilty pleas, is not bound by the terms of the plea agreements. Both Jacksons are free until sentencing.
Since last June, Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized twice at the Mayo Clinic for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues, and he stayed out of the public eye for months, even during the November elections. His lawyer said after the court appearance that Jackson’s health is ‘‘not an excuse’’ for his actions, ‘‘just a fact.’’
Why, then, do I feel he was hiding out and trying to gain sympathy?
Jackson entered the courtroom holding hands with his wife and
looking a bit dazzled as he surveyed the packed room. He kissed his wife and headed to the defense table.
Jackson’s father, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson,
sat in the front row. Before the hearing started, he wrote notes on a small piece of paper. When the proceedings started, he sat expressionless and virtually motionless, hands folded. As he made his way back to the courtroom for Sandra Jackson’s hearing, he took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. Several other family members also attended.
Sandra Jackson, 49,
sobbed during her hearing, as her husband watched from the row behind the defense table. Sandi, as she’s known, was a Chicago alderman before she resigned last month during the federal investigation.
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Whose next to fill the shoes?
"Hutchinson exits race for Jackson’s US House seat" Associated Press, February 18, 2013
CHICAGO — State Senator Toi Hutchinson
dropped out of the race Sunday for the US House seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr., saying that her continued candidacy risked sowing divisions among her fellow Democrats.
Hutchinson’s exit follows several
weeks of attacks from opponents, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, over her past opposition to tougher gun restrictions, one of the campaign’s most pressing issues leading up to the Feb. 26 Democratic primary.
Then he's a f***ing bully!
While campaigning in a district that includes parts of Chicago’s South Side that have been deeply affected by gun violence, Hutchinson moderated her views, saying the December
school shooting in Newtown, Conn., was what
brought about her change of heart.
In a written statement on Sunday, Hutchinson said she would throw her support behind Robin Kelly, a former state representative who was among those criticizing Hutchinson’s previous position on guns and
questioning her genuineness in tempering her stance....
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Also see: Emptying the Chamber: Gunning For the Senate
You see who is in the House now?
