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Rep. Jackson's condition 'more serious' than thought, getting in-patient treatment By Daniel Strauss - 07/05/12 11:56 AM ET Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), who took a leave of absence from Congress, is suffering from a medical condition more serious than "initially believed," according to a statement from his office. The nine-term lawmaker is receiving "in-patient" treatment for "certain physical and emotional ailments," the statement noted. It did not provide additional details about his illness or how long he would be absent from Capital Hill. "Congressman Jackson's medical condition is more serious than we thought and initially believed," Jackson spokesman Frank...

Under pressure to reveal where he is and what his “ailments” may be, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s doctors released a statement Wednesday night saying he is being treated for a “mood disorder.” But the statement is unlikely to dampen the speculation about the Illinois Democrat’s mystery medical ordeal, considering the statement gave few details. The release, sent out by the lawmaker’s spokesman, did not identify his doctor’s name nor the facility at which he is being treated. The statement read: “Information regarding the Congressman’s treatment is protected by federal law under the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and...

BREAKING: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell: Rep Jesse Jackson Jr is in a rehab facility in AZ suffering from alcoholism and addiction -@JesseRodriguez — HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) July 11, 2012

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...

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says he didn't know former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had a brother until Blagojevich was indicted, and therefore couldn't have been working with the brother on a backroom deal for Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. "I have said from the beginning that I publicly and transparently sought [the appointment]," Jackson writes in an op-ed piece published in a few Illinois newspapers this week. "I did nothing illegal, unethical or inappropriate." Still, a Congressional Ethics Committee last week announced it would continue investigating allegations Jackson sent emissaries to offer campaign cash in exchange for the seat, and...

Months after winning the state's highest office, Rod Blagojevich and some of his closest advisers met to discuss how they could turn their political fortune into personal riches, with the new governor listening as Antoin "Tony" Rezko stood at a board and outlined the ideas, prosecutors alleged in a new court filing Wednesday. Rezko, one of the governor's top fundraisers, was the alleged mastermind of some of the plans. Chris Kelly, the Blagojevich confidant who took his own life last fall, sometimes hopped up to add his two cents, prosecutors alleged. Also there was Alonzo "Lon" Monk, then Blagojevich's chief...

A House ethics panel said it is investigating allegations against three lawmakers, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Jackson allegedly launched a "public campaign" to be appointed to President Obama's former Senate seat in Illinois. But the Justice Department asked the panel defer investigating the matter because of a criminal indictment against ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and its investigation into "the facts surrounding Rod Blagojevich's consideration of multiple candidates to fill the Senate seat," the House ethics panel said in its statement. Because of that request, the investigation will be deferred, the statement said, but "the committee will continue to monitor...

ABC News CHICAGO – Businessmen with ties to both Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson discussed raising $1 million for Blagojevich to help persuade him to appoint Jackson to President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, according to a published report. Citing unnamed sources, the Chicago Tribune reports in a story for Friday's editions that businessman Raghuveer Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi told attendees at an Oct. 31 meeting that they needed to raise the money for the governor to ensure Jackson's appointment. "Raghu said he needed to raise a million for Rod to make sure Jesse...