Jackson can donate to wife

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. may give money from his political fund to help his wife's campaign to be a Democratic ward committeeman under an advisory ruling Thursday.

The Federal Election Commission voted 4-1 to back the stance taken by their attorneys that the Chicago congressman may give an unlimited amount of money to Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson's candidacy for a position with the Cook County Democratic Party.

The ward Sandi Jackson serves as alderman and seeks to represent as a committeeman is part of her husband's 2nd Congressional District. The congressman's federal campaign fund had about $827,000 as of Oct. 30, an unusually large sum for an incumbent facing no opposition to re-election.

Jackson's donation to his wife would not violate the federal ban on the "personal use" of federal campaign funds because the ban does not cover donations to candidates for local political posts, the FEC said.