* This was one odd press release…
U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. began a medical leave of absence from Congress on June 10 and is being treated for exhaustion, his office said on Monday.
The offices of the Chicago Democrat, who has served in Congress since 1995, remain open to serve constituents, said a statement from Jackson spokesman Frank Watkins.
“He asks that you respect his family’s privacy,” the statement said.
* So, he’s been out of action for two weeks? And he’s just now telling anybody? There’s much speculation about what caused this “exhaustion,” but the Sun-Times reports it’s about his marriage…
Exhausted and, according to a friend, fighting to save his marriage, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. announced Monday he’s been on a previously-undisclosed medical leave of absence for the past two weeks.
“I know he has been under a lot of pressure,” said a Jackson friend in Washington, D.C. “He’s been fighting really hard to save his marriage. And he had a tough election. There’s been a lot of stuff.”
* Jackson’s office is denying that the leave had anything to do with lsat week’s arrest of an old friend…
Just last week, a longtime friend of Jackson’s, Raghuveer Nayak, was arrested on federal fraud charges involving Nayak’s surgical centers. Nayak was at the center of the U.S. Senate seat scandal that sent former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to prison.
But Nayak has already flipped on Jackson, and the feds have never pursued charges against the congressman, so it seemed like the guy was in the clear, at least with the FBI. He’s still facing ethics complaints in the House. But this is still pretty odd…
News of his illness came as a surprise, as his office has repeatedly sent out press releases quoting him and his Twitter account has been active even while he has been on leave.
* Jackson has a history of being tight-lipped, by the way…
Seven years ago, Jackson took even longer to publicly disclose medical treatment. In March 2005, he ended weeks of speculation by revealing that his trimmed-down figure was the result of weight-loss surgery performed about three months earlier. Jackson underwent a duodenal switch, described as a minimally invasive surgery that involves cutting out a part of a patient’s stomach.
* Meanwhile, in other scandal news…
A House committee charged with determining possible discipline for indicted Rep. Derrick Smith will convene for the first time this week.
The House Select Committee on Discipline will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Chicago.
It’s the second step in a process that allows the House of Representatives to determine if Smith should face some kind of professional discipline.
Smith, a Chicago Democrat, was indicted in April on a federal bribery charge, after authorities recorded him allegedly accepting a $7,000 bribe. The case is pending in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois.
The first phase of the process involved the House Special Investigating Committee, which was formed to look into the allegations against Smith and determine if there was enough evidence to proceed with possible discipline. Members of that committee announced June 6 that there was sufficient reason to move forward.
- Wumpus - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 8:52 am:
Halverson had nothing but supportive words for the man. Isn’t exhaustion a Hollywood code word? I hope he is okay, but this does not seem sincere, open or honest.
- Shore - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 8:55 am:
All those reporters in chicago who spent years breathlessly covering every utterance by blago and they can’t get someone to squeal on jesse jackson and disclose what’s really going on?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:01 am:
Wasn’t it exactly two weeks ago that you had that picture of him with the bottle of McCallen’s behind him in his office? Maybe he ran out
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:18 am:
A note to explain why it took two weeks to “announce” …
“Please Exuse Jesse Jr. from Congress … Retroactive two weeks ago. The Congressman was too tired … to tell us he was too tired.
Signed,
Juan Epstein’s Mother”
No snark on this … Hope JJJ is “ok”.
This is more than a bit odd to release the info like this, unless someone was going to drop a Dime that JJJ was not around, was ill, etc.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:18 am:
Wumpus, I thought the same thing. “Exhaustion” is a Hollywood thing. Still, in those cases, it can be a very grave problem, too, and nothing to take lightly.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:22 am:
About a week or two ago the NBC Nightly News did a piece on the surgery that Jackson allegedly had to lose weight. Apparently many people who have such surgeries and also have an addictive personality are prone to developing problems with alcohol because the alcohol gets into their system quicker. The surgery removes a large part of the stomach.
I’m not sorry this is the Congressman’s issue. I hope not for him and his family. If so, he can beat that too.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:30 am:
I find it hard to believe that the medical community finds that stomach surgery ethical. You lose weight through proper diet and exercise, it’s not a big mystery.
That medicine even offers the option of cutting someone open and carving out part of their stomach strikes me as the most barbaric quackery.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:31 am:
Sorry, that should have been “I’m not saying this is the Congressman’s issue. I hope not for him and his family. If so, he can beat that too.”
- ZC - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:32 am:
He’s fighting to recover his marriage after news of an affair, he spent months wondering all the time if the Feds would drop a hammer on him that might end his career or worse, he did have a primary he couldn’t take for granted … And who knows what else. I can see why he needed the break. A lot of this was of his own making though.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:38 am:
wordslinger, as a large guy I can understand why you would go the surgery route. I am going to classic route and I can tell you it is a harder row to hoe as it were.
But ‘exhaustion’ there is something else too it and I suspect we will find out in due course. Hope whatever it is he deals with it.
- CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 9:49 am:
Speaking of funny PR moves, it appears Loophole Loving Catholics hire Phonehacking Foxer for flacking…
Fox News’ Burke Leaves Network To Become Comms Advisor to The Vatican
The Vatican has hired Fox News correspondent in Rome, Greg Burke, as a senior communications adviser. Burke, who has covered the Vatican for Fox since 2001, will leave the network to help improve and coordinate the Vatican’s various communications operations, the NY Times reports.
Burke, the Vatican’s first communications expert hired from outside the insular world of the Roman Catholic news media, said that he would not replace the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, but would advise officials on how to shape their message. He said he had turned down the Vatican twice in the past month before accepting the paid position. He will answer directly to officials in the Secretariat of State, the Vatican’s executive branch…”
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:01 am:
“Exhaustion” can cover many things for the famous, but I’d rather give Jackson the benefit of the doubt. I believe everyone is entitled to some form of privicy over medical concerns. Only if this drags out is a more detailed statement necessary.
- Stones - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:33 am:
I’m all for giving someone the benefit of the doubt but releasing this weeks after the fact is unacceptable. He is an elected official and if he is not on the job representing his constituents then they have the right to know.
I also agree with a prior poster’s comments that most of his issues are self-created. Hard to feel sorry for a guy like that.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 10:59 am:
Alderman Jackson is one of the most publicly-minded elected officials I’ve ever met.
I wish her family all the best.
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 11:40 am:
I agree with the prior comments that for me the bigger issue is the fact that this was covered up for two weeks, particularly at a time when the House is considered “in Session” even if no major votes are going on. Vacations are one thing. Taking a leave and not being able to fulfill duties as a member of Congress without informing your constituents is quite another.
While now is not the time for speculation (though the two week cover up has invited it), Cong. Jackson will owe his constituents more of an explanation than simple “exhaustion” upon his return.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:12 pm:
“I find it hard to believe that the medical community finds that stomach surgery ethical. You lose weight through proper diet and exercise, it’s not a big mystery.”
And you cure alcoholism by just stopping drinking. Yet some people can’t stop just the same. People can get addicted to bad food and eating too much just the same as they get addicted to drinking, smoking and taking drugs.
I used to feel the same way as you wordslinger about that surgery until my mother got one and it brought down the blood pressure/cholesterol/pain meds she had to take and greatly improved her quality of life, overall happiness, ability to care for and spend time with her grandkids and her desire to exercise.
It’s not a total solution by any means, but it’s something than can provide hope and a path to change for a person who really had no hope or path forward before that.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:23 pm:
“He is an elected official and if he is not on the job representing his constituents then they have the right to know.”
Why does the nature of someone’s illness, time needed to recover, and disclosure even matter? Politics aside, if we assume that constituents wish officials who are ill well, but are concerned about not being represented, what can they do about it?
If they complain, they’re accused of being cruel and insensitive and are called “haters”. Apologists start pointing at history where officials who were ill (and even more disabled) were out of office for months if not years and/or point to the number of potential D and R votes, stating that his presence doesn’t matter one way or the other anyway and that eveyone else is pitching in to help out.
In the meantime, they THEMSELVES and/or their surrogates continue to attend events to raise funds and attract voters, grow their fiefdoms, collect their salaries, etc.
The only thing that’s missing is true representation.
And there’s also the advantage of not having to explain any votes to anyone WHILE the money keeps rolling in and the “sympathy” factor, which pretty much washes away any sins of the past, making them pretty much invincible. All of those factors, including the money they continued to collect while they were ill, should even help when they’re up for re-election.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:32 pm:
In the private sector that would be referred to as unlimited sick leave with full pay and benefits AND excellent performance appraisals for doing nothing more than collecting income from other sources while you were considered too ill to do what you were hired to do.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:35 pm:
“WHILE the money keeps rolling in and the “sympathy” factor, which pretty much washes away any sins of the past….”
And what an opportunity to strictly focus on “re-inventing oneself”–with staff fully intact to help out.
- amalia - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:49 pm:
nepotism is so tiring.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:49 pm:
Come to think of it, an extended illness is a perfect time for repeated leaks (of all varieties) of “come to Jesus” moments and “titillating” previews of the new “persona” being developed.
Coming soon to a theater near you.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 12:54 pm:
Carnie Wilson had surgery in the late 90s and had to have even more surgery recently because she gained most of the weight back. People just eat more often to get around the smaller stomach or eat high calorie food. You have to cure the emotional aspect of it and learn self-discipline. JJJ said he used to eat 10 tacos at a time; just don’t order that many.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:00 pm:
Well his medical insurance covered the surgery I’m sure. Maybe we would be better off as far as these surgeries go if more people’s medical insurance covered counseling/addiction care so they could work out whatever emotional issues relate to unhealthy behavior in eating/diet/exercise.
In any event, Trips is a target-rich pol on enough other fronts that I don’t think this “exhaustion” deal or his earlier weight-loss surgery deserve that much criticism.
- Bill L - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:47 pm:
The whole thing has a Gov. Mark Sanford vibe to it.
- The Captain - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 1:57 pm:
Ever since he told the Feds to put up or shut up all they’ve done is put a picture of his girlfriend on the front page of the Sun-Times and indict his ally.
It appears this wasn’t a particularly effective strategy, probably made sense at the time though.
- Stones - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 2:13 pm:
Anon 12:23 -
My comment was primarily regarding JJJ being “on the job” but that being said I think a Member of Congress does have a duty to disclose a serious health issue (if that is what this is) because it could affect his / her ability to perform.
Perhaps I am old fashioned in this regard but I think public officials are elected leaders and therefore should be held to a higher standard. To me, it is a cop out to refer to being “exhausted”. Heck, I’m exhausted right now! Sheesh….
- Boone Logan Square - Tuesday, Jun 26, 12 @ 4:07 pm:
Given all that’s transpired for JJJ the past few months, I’d be abusing intoxicants if I was in his shoes. Here’s hoping whatever treatment for “exhaustion” he’s undergoing gets him on the path to recovery.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 27, 12 @ 12:37 am:
I know, Stones. I just took that your post as an opportunity to–in a very roundabout way–point out what happens when one person, office, or party sets a bad precedent for one person, probably believing that it serves everyone in office well.
I have a suspicion those days are over. Voters just aren’t going to accept it anymore.