Jesse Jackson Jr. Cancels Call to Chicago Staff

UPDATE: Jesse Jackson Jr. Resigns from Congress

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. reportedly had planned to break his silence Wednesday during a morning conference call with staff but changed his mind.

Jackson spokesman Frank Watkins told Ward Room the South Side Democrat was scheduled to talk to his Chicago and Washington D.C. staff during a 10 a.m. call. Watkins, who works in the D.C. office, said there was even a phone number given out to staffers to dial in.

The congressman apparently changed his mind, though, and Watkins said Jackson's chief of staff told him Tuesday the meeting wasn't happening. There apparently was a concern the press had the number too.

Watkins said he "has no idea if anything is planned today."

Fox 32 News reported Jackson also had planned to send an e-mail to some staffers "about his future plans in politics" that could include details about his plea bargain.

That all remains a mystery now, just as the last several months of his administration, candidacy and re-election have been shrouded in secrecy. Jackson was last seen in June before he disappeared on medical leave for an unknown ailment. Since then he has been diagnosed with bipolar depression, was treated at the Mayo Clinic and has been the subject of a federal probe.

Jackson hasn't been publically heard from since, but there have been plenty of rumors and even sightings. A source who speaks to the embattled congressman told Ward Room on Monday that while he was not seen in public, Jackson stopped in Chicago briefly last week.

At Jackson’s Homewood congressional office, chief of staff Rick Bryant is keeping the office operating in Jackson’s absence.

"We do constituent services every day. People who want Inauguration tickets, we are keeping a list for those who want Inauguration tickets," Bryant said.

Contact Us