Rep. Jackson facing mounting calls to explain illness, extended absence

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is facing mounting calls to provide more details about his unexplained indefinite leave of absence from Congress.

The congressman's office says a "serious" medical condition has Jackson undergoing treatment. But officials as high as Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat and senior member of the Illinois congressional delegation, are now urging him to clear up what exactly has kept him from work since June 10. Durbin is joined by church leaders, Jackson political challengers and voters in asking for more details and expressing concern about whether they are still being represented by their elected official.

“If somebody needs medical treatment, I’m as willing as anybody to give them time to heal. I hope he gets better,” Brian Woodworth, the Republican challenging Jackson for his seat in Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, told FoxNews.com. “For the voters, what’s frustrating is they want to hear what is going on. They don’t want to know where he’s hiding.”

Durbin voiced his concerns Monday.

"As a public official, there comes a point when you have a responsibility to tell the public what's going on," said Durbin, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Jackson "will soon have to make a report on the physical condition he's struggling with."

Jackson, who was elected to Congress in a 1995 special election, has lately become the subject of a Capitol Hill ethics investigation.

Jackson’s office informed the public in late June that the congressman had taken medical leave as a result of exhaustion. Then his office, adding to the intrigue, said last Thursday that Jackson's medical condition is "more serious than we thought." His office said he has wrestled with “physical and emotional ailments privately for a long period of time."

His office also said the 47-year-old Jackson will need extended treatment at an "inpatient medical facility" and post-release care.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said Tuesday he thinks Jackson has fulfilled his duty to keep constituents informed about his absence, noting the two recent updates from staffers.

“I think we all have a responsibility to constituents,” said Hoyer, D-Md. “I think (updating) fulfills that responsibility.”

The congressman's absence comes amid a House ethics probe into whether he was part of discussions to raise money for the campaign of then-Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to the Senate seat vacated by President Obama after he was elected in 2008.

The Jackson fundraiser allegedly involved in that offer was also arrested last month, over a separate fraud case. The congressman himself has denied wrongdoing and was easily reelected in 2010.

Jackson is the son of civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. The younger Jackson’s district includes parts of Chicago's South Side.

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Some more here. Odd to say the least.

[Geee]

Jesse Jackson Jr. mystery deepens

 

The mystery surrounding Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., deepened on Tuesday as speculation swirled around the Illinois Democrat’s health and political future.

Democratic sources say Jackson — who has not been on Capitol Hill since June 10 — may not return to the House until after the August congressional recess.

Jackson’s office said in a June 26 statement that the lawmaker was suffering from exhaustion and would take a “medical leave of absence” to receive treatment for the condition. No date has been given for Jackson’s return, and Democratic lawmakers and aides now believe it could last weeks or even months longer.

“I don’t think he’s coming back until at least September, if he comes back at all,” said a Democratic source close to the situation. “I think it’s all up in the air.”

ABC News also reported that Jackson “will likely not return to Congress until after Labor Day,” citing an unnamed source.

(Also on POLITICO: GOP, OMB discuss staving off sequester)

But the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., in an interview with POLITICO, pushed back on an unconfirmed report that his 47-year-old son attempted suicide.

 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78373.html

[Geee]

NBC News Report: Jesse Jackson Jr Being Treated For Alcoholism

NBC News reports that missing Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has been found.

The 2nd District Congressman reportedly has been In Arizona receiving treatment for alcoholism in Arizona, according to Andrea Mitchell.

Jackson Jr. went on hiatus from congress a month ago, on June 10, and his office released a statement nearly two weeks after that saying he was being treated at an undisclosed location for exhaustion.

Following the NBC News report, Jackson Jr. spokesman Rick Bryant said the information was not 100% correct.

Bryant said he was not being treated for substance abuse, but didn't dispute other specifics of the report.

"Information regarding the congressman's treatment is protected by federal law under the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPPA"). The name of the attending physician and treatment center will not be disclosed in order to protect his continuing privacy. His physician makes the following statement: 'The congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder. He is responding well.'"

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/NBC-News-Report-Jesse-Jackson-Treated-For-Alcoholism-Addiction-162131135.html

[clearvision]

"Mood disorder"? 1/2 the country has mood disorder right now. Get back to work, or quit and go home.