Jesse Jackson Jr. will soon add "memoirist" to the list of labels — like "disgraced congressman" and "former representative of Illinois' 2nd congressional district" — attached to his name.
Wednesday, Fox Chicago confirmed reports that a Jackson memoir is in the works, with a source saying the ex-Congressman wants to "be remembered for more than just pleading guilty to corruption charges."
Jackson Jr. and his wife, former Chicago City Councilwoman Sandi Jackson, each pleaded guilty Feb. 20 to federal charges: he of scheming to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on a bizarre inventory of personal items and she of tax fraud.
Jackson's sentencing is scheduled for June 28.
A Chicago Tribune source who had reportedly seen drafts of portions of the memoir said Jackson was trying to "clear up his legacy."
"He has nothing else to do right now," the Tribune's source said. "He's desperately trying to change the narrative of his life story."
Fox reports Jackson began writing a paper as a form of therapy, but there is no final manuscript as of yet, and shopping the book to publishers wouldn't happen for a while.
Jackson has already authored and co-authored several books, including — quite ironically — the 1999 financial self-help book "It's About the Money: How You Can Get Out of Debt, Build Wealth, and Achieve Your Financial Dreams."
His memoir wouldn't be the first penned by an Illinois politician with corruption issues: In 2009, now-incarcerated former governor Rod Blagojevich wrote the political memoir "The Governor" detailing what he dubbed in typically grandiose terms, "The truth behind the political scandal that continues to rock the nation."
Related
Before You Go
