Rev. Jesse Jackson Used N-Word While Ripping Obama

According to Fox News, during Reverend Jesse Jackson's off-air criticism of Democratic Senator Barack Obama from an interview conducted on July 6, he used the n-word in reference to the African-Americans that he claimed the presidential candidate has been talking down to.

A spokesman for Fox confirmed that Jackson uttered the controversial racial slur in his criticism of Obama, but the network has refused to release the transcript from the Fox and Friends news show.

In an apology that the civil rights activist provided in response to his greatly publicized statements, he expressed regret over his criticisms and poor usage of language, though he did not specify that he uttered the racial slur during the interview.

Jackson said in his apology, "There really is no justification for my comments and I hope that the Obama family and the American public will forgive me. I also pray that we, as a nation, can move on to address the real issues that affect the American people."

The civil rights leader has been the subject of massive scrutiny due to the situation and many reputable civil rights figures representing the NAACP have publicly defended Obama since Jackson's comments were aired.