Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior has been on a medical leave of absence since June 10th. Though initially a mystery, his office let details drip. First, acknowledgement that he has a mood disorder. Then last month the Mayo Clinic announced he'd been diagnosed as bi-polar. It's kept him away from the Democratic National Convention, taking place this week in Charlotte. The Congressman's father, Reverend Jesse Jackson Senior, says his son wishes he could be at the D-N-C:
"Given the give and take of the political process, he enjoys this, this is his life. But yet his focus now must be his health and we encourage him to make his health, the recovery, the priority. And he's doing that, that, that."
The Reverend says Jackson Junior should take as long as he needs to recover. Jackson Junior has been under investigation by a US House Ethics committee for allegedly pledging to fundraise for former Governor Rod Blagojevich in exchange for a Senate appointment. There have also been rumors the feds are eying him. There have been no charges filed against him, but his once soaring political career has taken a deep slide.
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