After handily winning re-election to the House of Representatives from Illinois' 2nd District on Tuesday despite a stay at the Mayo Clinic for depression and bipolar disorder, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. may not hold the seat for long, according to several media reports.
Jackson, who assumed office in 1995 and is battling legal troubles, is likely to resign from Congress and face jail time under the terms of a plea deal that his lawyer is negotiating with the federal government, the Daily News reports.
CBS Chicago reported that Jackson's lawyer, Dan Webb, is in talks with the U.S. Justice Department over the terms of the tentative deal. They include Jackson's resignation from Congress for health reasons, a guilty plea related to misuse of campaign funds and the repayment of any funds he used for personal reasons.
The station said some jail time is also expected. It added that Jackson's pension — expected to pay out up to $80,000 a year when the congressman turns 62 — is on the table as well.
Jackson is under investigation for allegedly misusing campaign funds to decorate his home and also to buy a $40,000 Rolex watch for a female friend, the Chicago Sun-Times reported last week.
Jackson, the son of The Rev. Jesse Jackson, is married to Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson.
The congressman took a medical leave of absence from Congress in June and was later revealed to be suffering from bipolar disorder. Since then he has mostly been absent from Washington as he receives treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Read more at the Daily News.