Jesse Jackson admits to fathering child out of wedlock

"I fully accept responsibility, and I am truly sorry for my actions," Jackson, 59, said in a written statement.

His spokesman said Jackson had had an affair with a woman who worked in the Washington office of Jackson's civil rights group, the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition.

In his own statement, Jackson says his wife, Jackie, and their children "have been made aware of the child and it has been an extremely painful, trying and difficult time for them."

"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," Jackson said. "We have prayed together, and through God's grace we have been reconciling."

"This is no time for evasions, denials or alibis," Jackson's statement said. "No doubt, many close friends and supporters will be disappointed in me. I ask for their forgiveness, understanding and prayers."

A steady stream of supporters -- including Jackson's son, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. -- visited with the civil rights leader at his Chicago home.

The Democratic congressman, who represents a district in Chicago and nearby suburbs, issued a statement hours later saying he loves his father.

"For the Jackson family, this is an intense personal and private matter, and that is how we intend to deal with it. I simply ask the public to understand and respect our privacy," the younger Jackson said.

The senior Jackson, a Baptist minister and one-time aide to Martin Luther King Jr., acknowledged that he fathered the child and has provided "emotional and financial support" since her birth. "As her mother does, I love this child very much," he said.

At a news conference Thursday, the Rev Al Sharpton asked for prayers for his close friend and for Jackson's family.

"Rev Jesse Jackson should not be judged by just this situation," he said. "We should remember that, for 35 years, it was Jesse Jackson that walked the picket lines, that marched, and went to jail, and went to foreign shores to bring home prisoners of war for this nation."

Jackson counseled Clinton

The mother of Jackson's baby was pregnant at the time Jackson made visits to the White House, in the weeks before the scandal triggered President Clinton's impeachment in December 1998. Jackson prayed with Clinton's family on a grim weekend in August of that year, as Clinton admitted the truth about his affair with Monica Lewinsky to his wife and daughter and, in a televised speech, to the nation.

Jackson's child would have been conceived earlier that year, the same summer that Clinton admitted the Lewinsky affair, with Jackson acting as his public and private confessor.

Clinton was aware of Jackson's troubles, White House Press Secretary Jake Siewert said Thursday, but had no direct comment.

"This is a family matter that Rev Jackson has vowed to deal with on his own. And our thoughts and prayers are with him," Siewert told a briefing. "It's obviously a very difficult situation," he added, saying he was certain Clinton would be in touch with Jackson in the coming days.

Sharpton questioned the timing of the revelation "as we approach a weekend of Inauguration and protest, as we are in the midst of these hearings on Mr Ashcroft."

Jackson has demanded that Democratic senators vote against President-elect George W Bush's attorney general nominee, John Ashcroft.

Sharpton also said "leaders of the Democratic Party and leaders of this nation" should extend understanding to Jackson, just as they did to Clinton following his affair.

"It is clear to me that there is a certain distance that is being used today on Rev Jackson that we did not see when other public figures faced these type of situations," he said.

Chicago Mayor Richard M Daley called Jackson's admission "a personal thing with his wife and his family" and would not comment.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, who has known Jackson for 30 years, was surprised by the news. "It is hard to measure the impact of this personal tragedy on his public role," Durbin said.

"I was born of these circumstances," said Jackson, himself born out of wedlock, "and I know the importance of growing up in a nurturing, supportive and protected environment, so I am determined to give my daughter and her mother the privacy they both deserve."

His New York-based spokesman, John Scanlon, said that Jackson issued the statement in advance of tabloid newspaper reports about the child. "We decided to issue this statement so that our point of view could be reflected in this story," Scanlon said.

The statement does not reveal the name of the mother or the child, calling it "a private and family matter." Jackson says that "to protect all those I love I will not discuss it any further beyond this statement."

Scanlon said Jackson paid $40,000 to help relocate the woman to California, in addition to a continuing $3,000 a month in support.

The two-time former presidential candidate plans an indefinite hiatus from his political activism, which included opposing the confirmation of Ashcroft. "I will be taking some time off to revive my spirit and reconnect with my family before I return to my public ministry," the statement said.

The Rev Joseph Lowery, who was a close colleague of King and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said he hopes Jackson participates in a Florida rally on Saturday to protest voting irregularities that Jackson says disenfranchised blacks. Jackson's staff has said he has not yet decided whether he will attend, and Lowery said he would understand if Jackson is not there.

"We can't get bogged down. We can't let this interfere with his continued public service," said the 79-year-old Lowery, who plans to help lead the rally. "The Bible says 'let him without sin cast the first stone.' So instead of casting stones, he needs our prayers and our support."

Scanlon said Jackson's break from public life would not be immediate. "We'll honor some of the earlier commitments he had and ... take a look at what the other short-term commitments are," the spokesman said.

The elder Jackson is the host of the CNN talk show "Both Sides with Jesse Jackson," which airs every Sunday. CNN had no comment.

Last August, Clinton awarded Jackson the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. At that time, Jackson lavished praise on his wife and his five children for supporting him in his long civil rights career.

"I really owe so much credit to my wife because I was traveling so much," Jackson said after the medal ceremony.

"She was the one who had to mind the garden. She had to cut the weeds out from around our children. She had to cultivate them. They have done well in their young lives, but in no small measure because of the relentless effort and the tough love of their mother and my wife," Jackson said.

A fiery advocate for America's minorities, Jackson rose from poverty in South Carolina to win 7 million votes in pursuit of the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination eventually captured by Michael Dukakis.

He has been a powerful force in the Democratic Party in recent years -- although he enraged many in 1984 by referring to Jews as "Hymies" in a private-but-overheard conversation.

He drew fire for his support of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which some Jewish Americans consider a terrorist group, and for personal diplomacy trips to the Middle East and Latin America.

He brought about the release of a U.S. Navy pilot held by Syria and won freedom for 48 prisoners in Cuban jails.

Jackson first tasted prominence as a young firebrand in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He was a devotee of King and was with him in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 when King was assassinated.