Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Wife Claims He is ‘Completely Debilitated”

Sandi and Jesse Jackson Jr. 

*The wife of ailing U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is finally talking.

In an exclusive interview, Chicago City Council member Sandi Jackson dispelled rumors that her husband, who has been off the job for nearly eight weeks while being treated for depression, attempted suicide or was receiving help for alcohol and drug addiction.

“No, no, none of that is true,” says Sandi Jackson, who has been at the helm of her husband’s health care since he collapsed at their home in Washington, D.C. on June 10. The congressman’s wife  provided a dramatic timeline for his stunning absence, which has brought about both sympathy and criticism.

“His collapse was D-Day for us,” Mrs. Jackson told Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Michael Sneed who, by the way, exclusively disclosed that the congressman was being treated at the Mayo Clinic. She adds that her husband “called and told me not to worry, but it is obvious he was suffering from a form of depression.” Sandi Jackson says the congressman had become “completely debilitated by depression,” and claims that his world has been immersed in a “news blackout” since his collapse.

Meanwhile, in another interesting twist, a Sneed source that is familiar with Jackson’s sorry state claims Jesse Jackson Jr. ‘thought about’ leaving politics.

“He’s thought about it,” says the source. “He’s thought about a lot of things and is very aware his re-election bid is in November. He is under intense pressure to make a statement personally about his situation.”

The source also claims Alderman Sandi Jackson is under intense pressure to get back to work.

“Sandi…is smart…incredibly warm, and charming. [She] knows it’s the Jackson’s family name and power which netted her the alderman’s job. The back and fourth trips the couple was making between Chicago and Washington was hard on their family life, and Jesse knows he’s got to step up to the plate with the kids,” said the source.