Jesse Jackson Jr. Has Resigned From Congress
Update 2:18 p.m.: Jackson Jr. has resigned by letter, and as Luke Russert reports, Speaker Boehner's aides have received the resignation:
Aides to Speaker Boehner tell me they have received resignation letter of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) November 21, 2012
NBC News's Mike O'Brien has a similar report.
An aide to Boehner confirms the speaker's received a resignation letter from Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.).
— Mike O'Brien (@mpoindc) November 21, 2012
Original: After mysteriously disappearing from the Mayo Clinic a little over a week ago and keeping mum ever since, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is expected to hand in his resignation to Speaker John Boehner this afternoon, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune are reporting. "U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson is expected to tender his resignation from Congress within the hour," a source close to Jackson told Mary Mitchell at the Sun-Times in a story that went up shortly after 12:30 this afternoon, and The Chicago Tribune has confirmed that report with Jackson's brother Jonathan Jackson. This news comes after Jackson Jr. reportedly canceled a conference call with his Chicago staff that was supposed to address his "future plans in politics" reports NBC Chicago. It's been a tumultuous two-week stretch for Jackson Jr. Despite winning his seat easily on election night, reports that he was working on a plea deal with the feds for misusing campaign funds came the Friday after the results, and shortly after that he disappeared from the Mayo Clinic where he was receiving treatment for bipolar disorder.
