WASHINGTON (MCT) — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s congressional colleagues expressed sympathy Thursday over his medical leave, but some said the incomplete explanations of his illness have been a case of botched public relations that has fueled the rumor mill.
“I’ve heard 10 different rumors,” fellow Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley said after the House adjourned for the week. “This is what happens when his staff, or whomever, doesn’t tell the public what’s going on.”
Jackson, 47, a Chicago Democrat, is undergoing treatment in an unidentified facility during a medical leave that began June 10 but wasn’t announced for more than two weeks. His office at first said the congressman was suffering from “exhaustion,” then cited long-term “physical and emotional ailments,” and most recently released a statement from an unidentified doctor that Jackson had a “mood disorder,” a term that can cover such conditions as clinical depression or a bipolar disorder.
Many lawmakers said their knowledge of Jackson’s difficulties was limited to media accounts.
“Us in the delegation, we know about as much as everybody else,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., from Manteno. “We see what you guys are reporting. That’s all that we know.”
He said the case isn’t Topic A, but it is interesting because “it’s a mystery.”
“If it’s a serious situation, I wish him luck, and I pray for his speedy recovery,” Kinzinger said. “But he needs to be more open.”
Other House Republicans agreed.
“It’s incumbent upon us to be transparent,” said Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., from McHenry. “The reason there’s a storm now, all these questions, is because he hasn’t been transparent. My thoughts and prayers are with him — whatever issues he has — but my God, we have to let our constituents know.”
Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., from Hinsdale, said there was not a one-size-fits-all answer to how lawmakers should handle medical crises. “But if public officials have responsibilities, and if something’s getting in the way, then it’s important to be as open and honest as possible,” she said. “Voters respect that.”
In Jackson’s office in the Rayburn building, aides were at work and a receptionist could be heard saying: “All the information we have is what was in the press release, but I appreciate your support and the congressman appreciates your support.”
Jackson’s spokesman, Frank Watkins, said: “Everything is going on here and in (district offices in) Homewood and in Chicago as normal. Constituents continue to be served. Phone calls are answered. The only (thing), he’s obviously not voting.”
Missed votes during Jackson’s leave reached 97 on Thursday.
House leadership also weighed in on Jackson.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said only: “We hope he gets well soon” and called it “an issue between him and his constituents.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told by a reporter there was “increasing frustration” among members about Jackson, questioned the premise. “Really? There has been increasing frustration?”
In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former House Democrat, took a swipe Thursday at Congress and said it still will be there when Jackson is ready to return.
“I know a lot of people are saying, ‘When is he going to get back to work? He should get back to work.’ Why would he go back to work to a Congress that does no work?” Emanuel said. “Why rush? Take care of your health. Guess what? Congress is going to be there.”
Emanuel said that when someone is dealing with emotional and mental health issues, it doesn’t just affect the individual, but the family. “Just because you’re in public life doesn’t mean your zone of privacy ends,” he added.
At the same news conference, the Rev. Byron Brazier said that though Jackson is a public official, he deserves the right to maintain his medical confidentiality. And Brazier said he is satisfied with the amount of information Jackson has disclosed so far.
“Certain things have to come out in their time, but at the end of it, we’ll be able to tell whether it was worth it or not,” Brazier said.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said he just wants to see Jackson get better.
“My first concern was the well-being of not the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District, but the congressman,” Raoul said. “I think he’s obligated at some point to talk about if and when he will return to service, how whatever his condition is may impact his capacity to serve. Beyond that, getting into the nitty-gritty of the condition and his treatment, I believe it’s private.”
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(Katherine Skiba reported from Washington, with Kristen Mack in Chicago. Lisa Mascaro of the Tribune Washington Bureau contributed.)
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