After struggling for several months with mental health issues, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) announced this afternoon that he is resigning from Congress, just two weeks after winning a ninth term.
An aide to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told NBC News that the speaker’s office had received a letter this afternoon from the Illinois congressman resigning from Congress.
The son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, Jackson, Jr. had sought treatment for bipolar depression at the Mayo Clinic for much of the past summer and fall. His last vote in Congress was on June 10, and his mysterious disappearance from official duties prompted speculation about the reason for the Democratic congressman’s prolonged absence.
There have been reports in recent weeks that Jackson remains the target of an ongoing investigations, though it’s unclear if his resignation is related to those allegations.
As for the larger context, Jackson is the 10th member of the 112th Congress to resign before the end of the term. I don’t know if that’s a record, but it’s an awfully big number.
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