Report: Jesse Jackson Jr. Insists On Disability Pay As Condition For Leaving Office [View all]

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We have previously discussed how Jesse Jackson Jr. disappeared for months without explanation while federal investigators sought information on allegations that he tried to buy a Senate seat and that he used campaign funds on his home. He then was admitted to the Mayo Clinic for pyschological problems but insisted on running for reelection (without campaigning). He won handily and pledged to serve his constituents . . . while he reportedly negotiated a criminal plea bargain. He left Mayo and there is now a report that Jackson is demanding a disability package in return for leaving office.

Investigators are reportedly also looking into $42,000 that they believe Jackson paid to buy an alleged mistress a Rolex watch.

As a threshold matter, it is unclear to me why there are serious plea bargain and disability discussions if Jackson used campaign funds to improve his home. The late Sen. Stevens was prosecuted for such misconduct. This would be a case of theft from his campaign of $20,000. Average people go to jail for a fraction of that amount in cases of theft or fraud. However, this is the son the Jesse Jackson.

full: http://jonathanturley.org/2012/11/16/report-jesse-jackson-jr-insists-on-disability-pay-as-condition-for-leaving-office/

(No, Turley is not a right winger or Republican. He is a constitutional law professor who has regularly appeared on NPR, MSNBC, and Current TV and has written impassioned defenses of the First Amendment.)