Embattled Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is under scrutiny by federal prosecutors on allegations he improperly used campaign funds to decorate his home, according to a report by Politico.
The probe, led by the Washington, D.C., FBI field office, is not related to a past scandal involving former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s attempted sale of a Senate seat.
Jesse Jackson Jr.
The Illinois Democrat’s lawyers reportedly asked prosecutors from the Washington U.S. Attorney’s office to delay any indictment until after the Nov. 6 election. But the federal authorities are nearly finished with their investigation and declined, Politico reported.
The investigation began before Jackson, son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, checked himself into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He left the clinic last month after undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder. Jackson has returned to Washington but has not gone back to work.
Jackson, 47, was implicated in Blagojevich’s attempts in 2008 to sell the Illinois Senate seat left vacant after Barack Obama was elected president. Jackson was never charged in that investigation, and he repeatedly denied any involvement. That probe led now-retired Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to remark that the corruption in the case would make “Lincoln roll over in his grave.”
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported Friday that prosecutors were investigating “suspicious activity” in Jackson’s finances. Reports now indicate that the investigation is focused on improvements to Jackson’s $1.3 million Washington home.
