Democratic Representative Jesse Jackson resigned from Congress due to his mental health issues.
John Boehner, House Speaker, said his office received the letter of resignation on Friday afternoon, according to NBC News.
His resignation comes just a few weeks after he was reelected for his ninth term as representative. He was reelected without even campaigning or being out in public due to his battle with mental illness.
Reuters reports in his letter to Boehner he said, “My health issues and treatment regimen have become incompatible with service in the House of Representatives. Therefore, it is with great regret that I hereby resign … effective today, in order to focus on restoring my health.”
Jackson is the son of civil rights leader Revered Jesse Jackson. He has also been under scrutiny due to ethical allegations, the most infamous being him trying to convince former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to appoint him as successor to Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
“I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone,” Jackson wrote in the letter.
