Former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has had his day in court. His admission of guilt for grossly misusing campaign funds is the certain end to what could have been a very promising political career.
The son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Sr., who was hospitalized last year for a supposed bipolar condition, admitted he used campaign money to buy more than $750,000 worth of luxury items, collectibles and clothes.
“For years I lived off my campaign,” Jackson said while entering his plea. “I used monies that should have been used for campaign purposes and I used them for personal purposes, and I used them for myself personally, to benefit me personally.” Jackson waived his right to a trial, saying he did not want to waste the court’s time or the taxpayer’s money. “I fully understand the consequences of my actions,” he said.
Jackson brazenly used his campaign fund as somewhat of a personal ATM to pay for a myriad of family expenses. Court documents released Wednesday revealed that Jackson made purchases as simple as toilet paper at Costco and as exotic as a 5-day retreat at Martha’s Vineyard. Prosecutors say Jackson spent more than $60,000 on nightclubs and restaurants, $31,000 on airfare, $17,000 at tobacco shops and $5,800 on alcohol.
Jackson also used campaign monies to buy a $43,350 gold-plated men’s Rolex watch, $5,150 worth of fur capes and parkas, and thousands more in memorabilia from martial arts master Bruce Lee, hats and guitars that once belonged to singer Michael Jackson, and memorabilia linked to slain civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He also used the fund to pay off more than $14,400 in personal credit card charges that he accumulated between August 2005 and April 2012.
Sandi Jackson, his wife and a former Chicago alderman, also pleaded guilty Wednesday to a separate felony charge of filing false tax returns over 6 years. Jesse’s and Sandi’s sentencing hearings are slated for June 28th and July 1st respectively, with Jesse facing a likely prison term of 5 years.
As he left the courtroom Wednesday, Jackson told a reporter: “Tell everybody back home, I’m sorry. I let them down, okay?”
What's done in the dark always comes into the light. Spending campaign money on toilet paper?? No wonder he was hiding out in a hospital last year. They need to throw the book at this clown!