http://www.wnd.com/frame/direct.asp?SITE=www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/20
501.htm
REV. IS IN A ‘SORRY' STATE
Thursday,January 18,2001
By TRACY CONNOR
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JESSE JACKSON
N.Y. Post: Mary McLauglin
A "truly sorry" Rev. Jesse Jackson revealed last night that he fathered a
love child two years ago - and said he's dropping out of public life to
reconcile with his devastated family.
The extraordinary admission came as the National Enquirer published a story
about Jackson's secret affair with Rainbow Coalition activist Karin
Stanford.
The bombshell report details how the married civil-rights leader romanced
the ex-professor while serving as spiritual adviser to President Clinton
during Sexgate and even took his pregnant mistress to the White House.
"I am father to a daughter who was born outside of my marriage," Jackson
said in a statement to The Post.
"As her mother does, I love this child very much and have assumed
responsibility for her emotional and financial support since she was born,"
he continued.
"This is no time for evasions, denials or alibis. I fully accept
responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions."
The fiery preacher - who has been hammering away at some of George W. Bush's
Cabinet appointments in recent days - said he was taking time off from his
"public ministry" because of the scandal.
It was unclear if he was canceling plans to lead a massive march on the
Florida state capitol on Inauguration Day to protest the presidential
election mess.
The Post contacted Stanford, 39, at her home in south Los Angeles several
times this week. She and family members politely declined to comment on her
affair with Jackson, 59.
But she told the Enquirer: "Jesse and I still have a very warm and close
relationship."
Since DNA tests determined he was the father of the 20-month-old girl -
Stanford was seeing another man when she got pregnant - Jackson has been
paying $10,000 a month in support.
He also gave the single mom $40,000 for "moving expenses" when she took
maternity leave and left Washington, D.C., for her native California.
Their fateful liaison began after Jackson, impressed by a book Stanford had
written about his impact on foreign policy, hired her to run the Rainbow
Coalition's Washington office.
The affair coincided with the explosion of the Sexgate scandal and Jackson's
unofficial position as adviser to Clinton on his adulterous fling with
intern Monica Lewinsky.
In August 1998, around the time his out-of-wedlock child was conceived,
Jackson urged the public to forgive the president for cheating on his wife.
"The nation must take the test: If there are any among us who have not known
the trials and tribulations and temptations, then throw a rock," he said.
"At some point, we have to forgive, redeem and move on."
That December, he escorted a four-months-pregnant Stanford and other Rainbow
Coalition staffers to meet President Clinton and stood next to her during a
photo opportunity.
It wasn't long before word of the escapades reached the homefront - and
Jackson's enraged wife of 38 years, Jackie, confronted Stanford at the
Rainbow Coalition offices, the Enquirer said.
"Jackie screamed at Karin that she'd raised Jesse's children and had been at
his side through really tough times," a source told the weekly. "She accused
Karin of getting pregnant on purpose."
And Stanford admitted: "I would not be surprised if his family hated me."
Even after the blowup, Jackson - who was born out of wedlock himself - was
clearly not ready to acknowledge the child was his.
In a March 1999 newsletter, he announced Stanford would soon be taking
maternity leave for "the birth of her first child" with her attorney
boyfriend.
A week later, he announced he had decided not to seek the Democratic
nomination for president, reprising his 1984 and 1988 campaigns.
Stanford was involved with another man when she found out she was pregnant
and left blank the space for the father's name on the birth certificate when
her daughter was born in May.
But a DNA test confirmed Jackson was the father of the baby, who reportedly
shares with him a genetic trait for sickle-cell anemia.
He quickly had a financial agreement for support drawn up - a pact that
included an agreement by Stanford not to publicly acknowledge her baby's
parentage, the tab reported.
In Los Angeles, Stanford continues to work for the Rainbow Coalition as a
consultant, and Jackson visits her and his daughter when he's in California.
The scandal has left Jackson estranged from Jackie and on shaky ground with
his five kids, including his congressman son, Jesse Jr.
"It has been an extremely painful, trying, difficult time for them," Jackson
said.
"I have asked God and each one of them to forgive me and I thank each of
them for their grace and understanding throughout this period of
tribulation.
"We have prayed together and through God's grace we have been reconciling."
Jackson said he hoped to "revive my spirit and reconnect with my family"
during his temporary break from public life.
His biographer, Marshall Frady, said he was not shocked by the revelations
and did not think they would permanently wreck his reputation.
"During the presidential campaign, the lore about his extra-domestic
careering was absolutely pandemic - the rumors connected him to a galaxy of
ladies," Frady said.
He said that like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson "is a passionate
being and has never been skilled in applying calculated economies to his
emotions."
Noting that Jackson was born out of wedlock and didn't learn his natural
father's identity until he was 5 or 6 years old, Frady said there is a kind
of "circling poetic irony" in yesterday's disclosure.
Jackson also brought up his family history last night.
"I was born of these circumstances and I know the importance of growing up
in a nurturing, supportive and protected environment," he said.
"So I am determined to give my daughter and her mother the privacy they both
deserve."
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