Rep. William Jefferson (D., La.) Accused of Two More Schemes

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Washington Post

By Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 18, 2007; Page A05

Federal prosecutors on Friday accused Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) of soliciting bribes in two alleged schemes that had not been previously disclosed. The allegations, detailed in a seven-page document filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, will not result in new charges, prosecutors said, but they plan to present them during Jefferson's federal bribery trial as evidence of a pattern of intentional wrongdoing.

In 2002, the government alleges, Jefferson asked a lobbyist of a U.S. oil service company for $10,000 a month for a family member in exchange for Jefferson's assisting the company in promoting business in Africa. The lobbyist turned down Jefferson's request, the document said.

Three years later, according to the filing, Jefferson allegedly agreed to urge NASA in a letter to consider doing business with a U.S. rocket technology and rocket launch services company. In exchange, the company allegedly agreed to pay Jefferson's family business and a relative.

In June, a federal grand jury indicted Jefferson, 60, on charges that he used his official position to solicit hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for himself and his family, falsely reported trips to Africa as official business and sought to bribe the former Nigerian vice president. He has denied wrongdoing....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/17/AR2007111701287.html?hpid=topnews

[rodeodance]

1. hey pelosi-tell him to take a hike!

[midnight]

2. They can allege whatever they want. He is innocent

until proven guilty. Let's go to court and prove these allegations. Is this man still in jail?

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Not in jail. In Congress. nt

[Flora]

7. He never went to jail.

This is the man who enlisted the National Guard, two days after Katrina, to take him to his house in New Orleans to *inspect the neighborhood. While there he spent an hour in his home while the Guard waited outside and then emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.

He is also the man who was caught with $90,000 stashed in his freezer.

[Orsino]

20. The jerk hasn't even come up with a story.

He doesn't dare try to explain 90 grand hidden in the freezer. If he really wants to be considered innocent by his constituents while he remains in office, you'd think he'd come up with something.

He can't, though, and I believe that that's because he's guilty as hell.

[gratuitous]

4. Odd, isn't it?

All the corruption going on in the Republican-controlled Congress, and the apparent kingpin was a black, minority party member from a backwater district in Louisiana. Not Hot Tob Tom DeLay, not Denny Hastert, not Bob Ney, none of them. Nope, it was all William Jefferson.

Who is the Post trying to kid with this nonsense?

[GOPNotForMe]

5. What an embarrassment! Thanks, LA voters, for giving keeping him in office... nt

[bluestateguy]

6. Oh jeez, get rid of this tool already!

The presumption of innocence until proven guilty does not entitle one with the right to hold elected public office while criminal proceedings are going on.

[...of J.Temperance]

8. Congressman Jefferson needs to

Be encouraged to resign, we can do without this sort of creep and we can do BETTER than this creep.

This sort of seediness....yeah he's presumed innocent until proven guilty, but he can do all of that and should do all of that outside of Congress.

There's no way we'd lose his seat to the GOP, that Congressional District is very Democratic.

[rasputin1952]

9. There appear to be a lot more corrupt R's than D's...

but I have to say, this man is facing charges, and it the charges hold up in court, and he is convicted, like any other crook that comes out of congress, he should be in jail for a good long time.

There are two particular things about this guy that bother me...He has a "D" after his name, and he was re-elected after charges were filed. I find this intolerable. If we can't uphold standards for our own, then how are we supposed to clean house of the corrupt R's?

[Hulk]

10. It isn't a D vs R game. If the SOB is guilty...he should hang, just like the repug guilty should...

The trolls just don't get it. We're against corruption no matter who is responsible!! I don't care what letter is next to his name...if he is corrupt, his butt needs to be tossed out of Washington and into a cell block...THE SAME as the corrupt sons of bitches that live in the White House and support that brain dead monkey.

[Solar_Power]

11. Agreed

[orleans]

12. amazing isn't it? that cheney can have his secret energy meetings

and get blow jobs from ken lay and still be president. i mean vice president. but that's okay. (anyone reading the shock doctrine yet?)

[sarcasmo]

13. Lobbyist can corrupt most any politician.

[funkybutt]

14. He's still in power but...

his political machine is dying. Lastnight, Jefferson's daughter, who allegedly has ties to her dad's bribery scheme, lost a State Senate race by a wide margin. A couple of years ago, she would have easily won.

Louisiana voters don't always get it wrong.

[Trajan]

15. Enough ......

This man should leave office immediately .....

ENOUGH .....

[Solar_Power]

16. If he resigns he won't have access to more cold cash

[flashl]

17. Send ALL Senators tied to the Hookergate INTELLIGENCE scandal FIRST

Maybe, some of the more than 340 Congresspersons tied to Abramoff?

Why is $90,000 viewed as MORE scandalous than the ENTIRE Senate intelligence committee tied to Hookergate?

[MidwestTransplant]

19. Those fools cost the government billions but having 90K in your freezer make it a bit easier for joe

public to understand.

[MidwestTransplant]

18. Yes it was all a setup Congressman, we know. Now get the hell out of Congress.

[lancer78]

21. If we are to

condemn the republicans for their lack of ethics, we must surely investigate any of our congressional members with equal means. Do not let this guy slide because he has a D by his name.

[flashl]

22. Anybody remember Murtha with a D behind his name? n/t

[Didereaux]

23. Yes, yes, yes, Jefferson, Bonds, Simpson...it was all a setup! sheesh!

[Psephos]

24. He's an embarrassment to the letter D and a gift to the letter R

And yet still has his defenders.

For those who forgot, our party is in service to our country, not vice versa. Both suffer when this kind of corruption is given a pass.

Throw the bum out. Pelosi has lots of tools to pressure him, and they aren't being used. Fie on them all. They are corroding our brand and debasing our Legislature.