Disgraced Jesse Jackson Jr. writing memoir to ‘clear up his legacy’

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who pleaded guilty to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds and is facing a 46- to 57-year month prison term, is now writing a book about his life in order to clarify his legacy.

“He has nothing else to do right now,” one source, who’s seen draft pages of the memoir, told the Chicago Tribune. He’s trying to “clear up his legacy. … He’s desperately trying to change the narrative of his life story.”

Mr. Jackson will be sentenced June 28. He pleaded guilty Feb. 20 to spending campaign cash for the likes of celebrity memorabilia, furs, a cruise, stuffed elk heads and a Rolex watch. In mid-2012, Mr. Jackson took a leave of absence from his House office, in part to obtain treatment for a bipolar disorder, before resigning in November.

Mr. Jackson’s wife, Sandi, an ex-alderman in Chicago, faces jail time, too. She pleaded guilty to charges stemming from filing false tax returns on Feb. 20 and faces up to two years in jail. Officially, Mr. Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and making false statements, stemming from his misuse of campaign dollars, the Chicago Tribune reported.

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