Jackson Aide Tried to Keep Baby Secret

The mother of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s out-of-wedlock child said she didn’t tell the civil rights leader for several months that she was pregnant because she worried it would hurt his causes and political aspirations--including a possible run for president in 1998, a newspaper reported.

“I guess I was afraid,” Jackson’s former aide, Karin Stanford, told the Chicago Tribune for a story published today. “I didn’t want to do anything to hurt him or the movement. I was trying to protect him.”

Stanford said she did not tell Jackson until at least three or four months into her pregnancy that she was expecting, and even then did not immediately tell him that the child was his. She said she had even bought “a fake engagement ring” and enlisted the help of an old friend to play the role of her fiance and the father-to-be.

“Despite the fact that I told the world the baby wasn’t Rev. Jackson’s, a lot of people didn’t believe it,” said Stanford, a 39-year-old author and former professor. “They knew about our relationship.”

She also said that she believes Jackson “always knew” he was the father and that her pregnancy played a role in his decision not to run for president.

“We were getting press inquiries. I think he felt if he threw his hat in the race, that would always be a question,” she said.

Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Stanford filed a lawsuit against Jackson in April to formalize a child-support agreement. Jackson has been sending $3,000 a month to support his daughter, who turned 2 on Friday.

“I just want to make sure [she] is taken care of if something happens to me or to him,” Stanford said of the suit.

Stanford said she wants Jackson someday to be a part of their daughter’s life. He had been visiting the child once or twice a month in Los Angeles, but he has not returned since the story of their 4 1/2-year affair became public in January.