NYT: G.O.P. Sees Gain in Bribe Case Involving Louisiana Democrat

[DeepModem Mom]

G.O.P. Sees Gain in Bribe Case Involving Louisiana Democrat
By CARL HULSE
Published: January 13, 2006


WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 - Congressional Republicans pounced Thursday on a corruption case implicating a veteran Louisiana Democratic lawmaker, citing it as evidence that wrongdoing on Capitol Hill is a bipartisan matter.

A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said that Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, was ignoring the case involving Representative William J. Jefferson of Louisiana while pressing for ethics investigations of a number of House Republicans tied to Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who pleaded guilty last week to corruption charges.

"If Nancy Pelosi can't clean up her own caucus, how does she expect voters to not see right through her attempts at political opportunism?" asked the spokesman, Carl Forti.

On Wednesday, Brett M. Pfeffer, 37, pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Northern Virginia to two bribery counts related to a business deal designed to provide high-speed Internet service and cable television in Nigeria. In the plea agreement, Mr. Pfeffer said that a lawmaker identified as Representative A solicited bribes in exchange for using his powers as a member of Congress to promote that deal and a similar one in Ghana.

Though Representative A is not named, the plea agreement says Mr. Pfeffer served as his legislative assistant from 1995 through 1998, a period when he worked for Mr. Jefferson. Federal law enforcement officials confirmed Thursday that the lawmaker in question was Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Pfeffer has agreed to cooperate in the investigation....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/13/politics/13bribe.html?oref=login

[tanyev]

1. Matthew 7: 3-5

3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.

[PATRICK]

2. Will backfire if they keep a scorecard

of perps and amounts and how much good for the public came out of the legislation. And while compiling the stuff that shows the Democratic party actually free of such things than at at any other time in its history(which is why we have more pollyanna elitists than skilled wheeler dealers) how about:

The Hall of Shame for all recently indicted members of each party. The numbers of GOP sex crimes, scandals etc. is far out of proportion to the relative numbers of both parties now serving or serving time.

Make a list- and take out some ads. And remind people this is WITH GOP dominance in the legal system and media to cover up and protect their own.

[depakid]

3. How about that- find an obscure case and whore for the far right

while sitting on evidence of Republican illegalities and malfeasance. Nice.

Guess Bush has the dirt on the owners and editors via illegal wiretaps.

[leveymg]

4. Democrats didn't take bribes from Abramoff.

May Mr. Pfeffer, and perhaps Rep. Jefferson, roast in a lesser Hell.

[stepnw1f]

5. Making this into an Issue Can Backfire Big Time

I will be making flyers this weekend about Republican Corruption.

[Toots]

6. Democrats want investigation Republicans don't. What more do you need

I would not be one bit surprised if a Democrat or two were to be corrupt. After all we all know Power Corrupts and Absolute power corrupt absolutely. Let the chips fall where they may and clean the filth out of Congress. I suspect you will never hear a Republican say anything similar to what I just said.

[PassingFair]

7. But I'll second you, Toots!

In fact, I think a rotten dem or two would HELP in the investigation of the pukes.

Especially if one is tangled up with Abramoff.

That way, they couldn't slough it off as "partisan attacks", and the media wouldn't steer clear of the corruption story like a kid on a bike avoiding a pile of doggydoo on the sidewalk.