Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.Grappling With 'Physical and Emotional Ailments'
Jackson's condition is "more serious" than originally thought.
July 5, 2012 -- Nearly two months after taking a leave of absence from Congress, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s congressional office today said he is being treated at an "in-patient medical facility" for an unnamed ailment.
"Recently, we have been made aware that he has grappled with certain physical and emotional ailments privately for a long period of time," Jackson's spokesman Frank Watkins said in a statement. "At present, he is undergoing further evaluation and treatment at an in-patient medical facility."
Jackson took a leave of absence from his House duties in early June because of "exhaustion." His condition is now "more serious than we thought and initially believed," Watkins said.
"According to the preliminary diagnosis from his doctors, Congressman Jackson will need to receive extended in-patient treatment as well as continuing medical treatment thereafter," he said in the statement.
Jackson, who was first elected to Congress in 1995, is running for re-election this year. He is also being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly offering money to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's gubernatorial campaign in exchange for President Obama's vacated Senate seat.
Blagojevich is currently serving a 14-year prison term for 17 counts of corruption, which include trying to sell Obama's seat.
Jackson is also being investigated for allegedly directing his campaign donor and friend Raghuveer Naya to foot the bill for airfare and hotel rooms for a female "social acquaintance."
Jackson's statement did not say when, or if, he would be returning to Congress.
