Jesse Jackson Jr. Located: Rehab
Original: Missing Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has been found. He's in rehab, but there are conflicting reports over what he's seeking treatment for. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports Jackson is being treated for alcoholism and addiction, but his office says he's being treated for a mood disorder.
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NBC's Jesse Rodriguez tweeted he learned, per NBC's Andrea Mitchell, that Jackson was seeking treatment for alcoholism and addiction in rehab in Arizona.
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A rep for Jackson told NBC their information wasn't completely accurate. Per NBC's report:
Following the NBC News report, Jackson Jr. spokesman Rick Bryant said the information was not 100% correct.
Bryant said he was not being treated for substance abuse, but didn't dispute other specifics of the report.
NBC is still reporting Jackson's being treated for alcoholism, though. The correction on the story reads:
Correction: an earlier version of this report said Jackson was being treated for alcoholism and addiction. He is not being treated for addiciton, only alcoholism. We regret the error.
Jackson's office released an official statement saying Jackson's seeking intensive treatment for a mood disorder. Per Politico's Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan, a rep from Jackson's office denied NBC's report completely and said Jackson wasn't suffering from alcoholism or addiction. This is the most important part of Jackson's office's statement:
“The congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder,” the statement read. “He is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.”
We'll update this post as we learn more. There were reports yesterday of a suicide attempt, but Jesse Jackson Sr. denied it. This is the first time Jackson's office has released any sort of comment on where he's been for the last month.
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Update: NBC updated their story to address Jackson's office's mood disorder claim. Now they're reporting a family friend told them Jackson's problems are so much worse than that. Emphasis ours:
But a family friend tells NBC News tonight that the congressman’s problems run much deeper. That he has severe clinical depression, a drinking problem or a problem with alcohol with treatment at a facility in Arizona.
