Jesse Jackson Jr. cancels conference call, continues silence: EXCLUSIVE
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By Darlene Hill, FOX 32 News reporter - bio | email
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
There have been lots of questions about what Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will do on the heels of his re-election and his federal probe.
Sources told Fox 32 News Tuesday night that after six months of not talking about his career in politics, the embattled congressman was going to break his silence Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
But as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, sources confirmed for FOX 32 that Jackson decided to cancel the scheduled conference call after word leaked that he planned to break his long silence.
Sources said the congressman was supposed to speak with some of his staff at both his Washington D.C. and Chicago offices, while others would receive an e-mail about his future plans in politics - and possibly the details of his plea bargain with the federal government.
The congressman has held the seat in Illinois' 2nd congressional district since 1995.
Fox 32 reported last week that Congressman Jackson was holding back on a letter of resignation. After checking out of the Mayo Clinic in mid-October, where he was being treated for bi-polar disorder, Jackson applied for a disability package. Denying or approving that congressional request would have taken four to six weeks, so he decided to hold off on that decision to see how the request played out.
Jackson Jr. has been under investigation for involvement in the selling of President Obama's vacated senate seat, but sources said he went into a deep depression after learning about a second federal probe against him - this time for misusing campaign funds. He has been on medical leave since June.
Sources said he has been working on a plea deal that could include giving up his seat for health reasons. He's likely to plead "guilty" for allegedly using $20,000 in campaign funds to remodel his Chicago home $42,000 to purchase a watch.
The congressman's wife, Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th), has denied any wrongdoing. A report out just two weeks ago said that she is being investigated by the federal government too.
Jackson Jr. wanted to wait until Thanksgiving Day to make his political intentions public, sources said, because the number of reporters working on the holiday is limited. But, he quickly realized that once the staff is informed, the story was out.
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