Chicago Tribune –
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota “for extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues,” according to a statement from Jackson sent late Friday by Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo.
Jackson’s whereabouts have been a mystery since he went on medical leave June 10. The statement issued Friday said the congressman “has arrived at Mayo Clinic,” but did not say where he came from.
Friday’s statement offers the most specific description yet of Jackson’s condition. When Jackson’s office first announced his medical leave two weeks after it began, it said the 17-year congressman was being treated for exhaustion.
Then on July 11, amid increasing calls for further disclosure, Jackson’s office issued a statement saying he was being treated for a “mood disorder” at an inpatient center, but again declined to be more specific. His staff cited federal medical privacy rules and declined to disclose any further information about where he was being treated, or for what, other than to deny that he was being treated for acohol or drug abuse.
Jackson, 47, is under a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that a longtime friend, Raghuveer Nayak, offered former Gov. Rod Blagojevich up to $6 million in campaign cash to appoint Jackson to President Barack Obama’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
Nayak was arrested in June on federal fraud charges involving his surgical centers.
Jackson has denied any knowledge of fundraising in exchange for the appointment.
The full text of the statement, which was confirmed by a Mayor Clinic spokeswoman:
“CongressmanJesse Jackson Jr. has arrived at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues.
“Further information will be released as Congressman Jackson’s evaluation proceeds.
“Congressman Jackson and his family are grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers that have been received throughout his care.
“NOTE: No additional updates are expected this weekend.”
On Saturday, Jackson’s father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, didn’t address his son’s situation during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s weekly meeting.
But in a brief interview after the meeting, he asked people to pray for his son.
“The Mayo statement speaks for itself,” Jackson said when asked if he had any updates about his son’s condition.
“We’re glad he’s getting outstanding medical care,” he said. “He is in the process of regaining his strength, and we urge that people pray for him and be sensitive in his regaining of his strength.”
Jackson said he’s talked with his son lately but declined to describe those conversations. He also declined to say where his son was treated before he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic.
