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How Jesse Jackson puts family first; exciting book digs behind the scenes to reveal how the Rev. Jesse Jackson turned the screws to put his sons in positions of influence and to launch a family dynasty
Insight on the News, April 1, 2002 by Kenneth R. Timmerman
Just one year earlier, Jesse Jr. had no official residence in Illinois. He listed his domicile as 240 M St. S.W. in Washington, a one-bedroom apartment where his wife, Sandra, had lived in the late 1980s. The couple expanded it by purchasing an adjoining three-bedroom unit in December 1992 for $110,000, according to Washington real-estate records. In October 1994, he and Sandra got their own foothold in Chicago, buying a large brick house just 100 feet from the Lake Michigan waterfront at 2559 E. 72nd St. for $200,000. Once Jesse Jr. went to Congress, they paid off the $150,000 mortgage with the First National Bank of Chicago in just four years. This was a stellar performance given that the couple purchased a nine-bedroom mansion at 2034 O St. N.W. in Washington assessed at $540,000 during the same time period. It helped, of course, that someone else picked up the mortgage on the O Street mansion. The Washington real-estate records show that a Sybille Saurbrun took out a mortgage on their behalf with the First Union National Bank in Washington for an undisclosed sum, which was not reported on Jesse Jr.'s financial-disclosure forms to the House ethics committee. Despite repeated interview requests and written questions, Congressman Jackson declined through a spokesman to comment.
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The young Jacksons appeared to be big spenders. They liked fast cars in addition to multiple residences, and owned numerous BMWs as well as an Isuzu Trooper. After Jesse Jr. went to Congress, the couple maintained a pair of older BMWs (hers, a 1991 BMW 525i, Illinois plates "BLK66"; his, a 735i, Illinois plates "D523242") and purchased three more. For the congressman there was a 1993 two-door 850Ci coupe with prestige tags ("2CG") and a 1995 840Ci with vanity plates ("REPZNTN").
The BMW 850 series is a top-of-the-line sports car, boasting a ripping 5.0liter, 322-horsepower, V-12 engine that listed new in 1993 at a modest $88,720 without options. Even Chicago Tribune car editor Jim Mateja found that a bit pricey. "For $88,720, some might expect two bedrooms and a bath, not the two doors and the $3,000 gas-guzzler tax on the `93 BMW 850i we tested," he wrote. The younger Jackson's 1995 840Ci is a slightly more modest version equipped with a 4.4-liter, 32-valve, V-8 engine that listed new for a mere $72,000. Sandra bought a 1995 740i four-door sedan (plates "D723000"), which Mateja called "a carpenter shop/medical center on wheels" that listed for $59,900 new. The young couple had $300,000 in automobiles alone -- not exactly chump change, especially for someone who listed his salary at $26,029 per year.
Jesse Jr. and his wife transferred their official domicile back to Chicago just months before the prosecution against Reynolds began. Was it just luck? Or did Jesse Jr. know that something bad was about to happen to Reynolds and that he needed to reside in Chicago officially if he was going to run for his congressional seat? Again, despite repeated attempts to interview the congressman about this and other matters, Jesse Jr. declined through a spokesman to comment.
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