The appearance of a real-estate listing for the Washington home owned by Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who is on a leave of absence from Congress while under treatment for depression, contributed to speculation on Wednesday that he would not return to finish his term.
The red-brick Victorian house in the upscale Dupont Circle neighborhood went on sale for $2.5 million on Sept. 8. It was not until Wednesday that the news media began linking the listing to Mr. Jackson.
But his office sought to play down the suggestion that the sale was related to Mr. Jackson's future in Congress. “Like millions of Americans, Congressman Jackson and Mrs. Jackson are grappling with soaring health care costs and are selling their residence to help defray costs of their obligations,†a statement issued by his office said.
Mr. Jackson, above, took a medical leave of absence from Congress on June 10, and last month his office announced that he was being treated for Bipolar II depression at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
On Sept. 7, the day before the house went on the market, a spokesman for Mr. Jackson told The Associated Press that Mr. Jackson was “at home in Washington convalescing with his wife and children.â€
Mr. Jackson, a Democrat who has represented Chicago's South Side and suburbs in Congress since 1995, bought the home on O Street in 1998, according to property listings on LexisNexis. The house is advertised as having five fireplaces, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two kitchens and a rooftop Jacuzzi.
