Jesse Jackson Jr. ‘To Resign From Office by End of the Year if Plea Deal Is Accepted’
John Clarke, Daily Mail (London), November 11, 2012
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is reportedly negotiating a plea deal with the federal government that would effectively end his 17-year congressional career.
Mr Jackson’s attorney, Dan Webb, is currently in talks with the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, it was claimed.
In addition to resigning, the deal also calls for Jackson to plead guilty to charges involving misuse of campaign funds and repay any contributions he appropriated for personal use, such as money spent on home furnishings and travel, according to reports.
According to Chicago’s CBS 2, Jackson, the son of civil-rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., also faces jail time.
Mr Jackson’s pension, for which he would receive between $65,000 and $80,000 a year for each of his 17 years in Congress, is also part of the current negotiations.
The congressman is 47, and won’t be eligible for pension payouts until he’s 62, CBS reports.
Mr Jackson is allegedly currently being treated for a bi-polar disorder, both at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and as an outpatient at his home in Washington.
He has been on medical leave since June and despite not making any campaign appearances was re-elected to his 2nd Congressional District seat earlier this month.
CBS reports a source familiar with those negotiations said the plea deal would made by the end of the year.
