Let's talk about Rep. Jefferson

Yesterday it was in the news that Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson was indicted by a grand jury.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes, let me just say that this wasn't the first time his name made the news. Last year in the heat of the Congressional campaign it came out and I think I blogged about it. Just one thing as Republicans and Democrats alike were attempting to defend Jefferson (well he is their colleague) then not too long after this came Rep. Mark Foley (Republican-Florida). We really didn't hear much about Rep. Jefferson, but Foley is probably one factor that swayed control of both houses of Congress to the Democrats.

Well in any case here's the details...

Louisiana congressman William Jefferson received more than $500,000 in bribes and sought millions more in nearly a dozen separate schemes to enrich himself by using his office to broker business deals in Africa, according to a federal indictment Monday.

The charges came almost two years after investigators raided Jefferson's home in Washington and found $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer.

The indictment lists 16 counts, including racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 235 years.

He is the first U.S. official to face charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits corporate bribery overseas.

Jefferson, through his lawyer, claimed innocence. He will be arraigned Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

The schemes were complicated and Jefferson set up front companies to hide the money and disburse it to family members, prosecutors said.

"But the essence of the charges are really very simple: Mr. Jefferson corruptly traded on his good office and on the Congress," said Chuck Rosenberg, the U.S. attorney in Alexandria.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to push this week for Jefferson to be stripped of his seat on the Small Business Committee, according to a leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been announced.

"If these charges are proven true, they constitute an egregious and unacceptable abuse of public trust and power," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "Democrats are committed to upholding a high ethical standard and eliminating corruption and unethical behavior from the Congress."

House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said Jefferson should be expelled from Congress if he is found guilty and refuses to resign.

Jefferson, 60, whose congressional district includes New Orleans, has said little about the case publicly. He was re-elected last year despite the investigation.

Check it out though, Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax Blog takes a look at the Illinois angle. Rep. Danny Davis made his comments about his colleague...

Through it all, much of the Congressional Black Caucus has stood by Jefferson and against the Democratic leadership. And yesterday, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), a veteran caucus member, said it would be “as supportive of our colleague as possible, in terms of saying a person in America is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.”

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. had this to say about his colleague who apparently supported current Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi's bid to oust Rep. Jefferson from his spot on the US House Ways & Means committee, also from Capitol Fax Blog...

“[There is a] presumption of innocence, and Rep. Jefferson is entitled to that presumption. That notwithstanding, these charges and allegations are serious and if proven have very real consequences for Mr. Jefferson and his life. Members of Congress and public officials should [hold] themselves to the highest possible ethical standard and that standard I believe is the ‘appearance of impropriety.’ The evidence that has been detailed in the indictment by the Justice Dept. suggests that the line for appearance [in this case] crossed that chasm a long time ago.”

[Should he resign?] “That’s a matter for Congressman Jefferson to decide. The question is, with these enormous charges confronting him how effective can he be as a member of Congress? The people of New Orleans who have been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and at this hour are dispersed across many states in the union need a full-time representative who is not preoccupied with personal matters.”

[On the impact on Democrats and the institution of Congress] …”This is an embarrassment to the institution of Congress and the 434 other members of Congress who are trying to earn and maintain the trust of the American people. A bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.”

Like I said it was in the news last year that Jefferson's congressional offices were raided and both Republicans and Democrats were defending him. I guess they don't want to get caught doing the same thing either. So that's the subject of the Capitol Fax post I just posted, if one member of Congress is being investigated should they close ranks and support the wayward member.

I would liken this to what happened to Alderman (excuse me former Alderman) Arenda Troutman. After it hit the press what she said about her job as an Alderman most of her colleagues responded to her cooley. Of course she ran for re-election and lost after her own indictment on charges of bribery.