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Jesse Jackson Jr. Apologizes: ‘I Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong’

by Catherine Thompson

08.14.13 | 7:25 am

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandra, arrive at federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2013, to learn their fates when a federal judge sentences the one-time power couple for misusing... Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandra, arrive at federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2013, to learn their fates when a federal judge sentences the one-time power couple for misusing $750,000 in campaign money on everything from a gold-plated Rolex watch and mink capes to vacations and mounted elk heads. MORE LESS

An emotional former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) apologized for his crimes in a sentencing hearing Wednesday, admitting he “couldn’t have been more wrong” in misusing $750,000 in campaign funds.

“I am the example for the whole Congress,” Jackson said, as quoted by the Chicago Tribune. “I understand that. I didn’t separate my personal life from my political activities, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

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Catherine Thompson Catherine Thompson is a senior editor for Talking Points Memo in New York City. She came to the site in 2013 and reported on national affairs. Previously, she worked as a research assistant to investigative reporter Wayne Barrett. She can be reached at catherine@talkingpointsmemo.com.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Apologizes: ‘I Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong’

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