"Rep. Jefferson of New Orleans indicted in fraud case" DAMN.

[in_cog_ni_to]

:(

Rep. Jefferson of New Orleans indicted in fraud case
By Johanna Neuman, Times Staff Writer
1:51 PM PDT, June 4, 2007

WASHINGTON -- William Jennings Jefferson, the nine-term congressman from New Orleans who was found to have $90,000 in his freezer almost two years ago, was indicted today on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

The congressman, 63, could face a sentence of 235 years if convicted on all 16 charges in a scheme in which the Democrat allegedly solicited bribes for himself and his family and allegedly bribed a Nigerian official. The indictments were handed up by a grand jury in Alexandria, Va.


Saying the scheme was complex and played out over a long period, U.S. Atty. Chuck Rosenberg of the Eastern District of Virginia said the charges could be boiled down to this: "Mr. Jefferson corruptly traded on his good office and on the Congress where he served in the United States House of Representatives to enrich himself and his family through a pervasive pattern of fraud, bribery and corruption that spanned many years and two continents."

Jefferson was reelected last year despite the investigation but, over objections from some in the Congressional Black Caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) stripped him of his slot on the Ways and Means Committee.<snip>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-jefferson5jun05,1,3551986.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true

[Greyskye]

1. Damn nothing.

He was a crook and deserves to get slammed as hard as possible. I don't care if you're a Dem or a Repub - if you're a crooked politician get out of my house!

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. Damn that a Dem got indicted. I'm NOT condoning what the crook did.

:(

[wakeme2008]

4. Just a minor little thing but I have not heard HIS side of this

:shrug:

[Mojambo]

10. Well, he's had many opportunities to address it

But he's been pretty tight-lipped.

Mostly because he was trying to hold onto his gravy train... err, I mean, Congressional seat.

[Greyskye]

17. it's a little difficult...

...to convincingly explain away why you have $90,000 stuffed into your freezer. (He had heard about the benefits of cold, hard cash? :shrug:)

Not to mention that his former aide Brett Pfeffer pleaded guilty to helping Jefferson solicit bribes. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Kinda puts a damper on your defence.

[Codeine]

23. Not to hijack the thread

but

"He had heard about the benefits of cold, hard cash?"

is darned funny. :applause: :rofl:

[Greyskye]

30. thank you, thank you

I'll be here all week. Try the veal, and tip your waitstaff!

[ButterflyBlood]

35. He better have a damn good excuse for having $90k in his freezer

That's all I'll say.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Why "damn"? The guy was caught with $90K in his freezer!

If he's a crook (as he would appear to be), he deserves to go down. Dems don't need crooks in the party, and they sure shouldn't try to protect them like the Repubs do with their crooks.

[wakeme2008]

6. And his side WAS

:shrug:

[BlooInBloo]

14. That WAS his side.

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. OKAY...WOOHOO!!!! Jefferson has been indicted!!!

:bounce::woohoo::bounce::woohoo::party::party:

Happy?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Yes, actually. He ought to be indicted.

The Dems need to keep their house clean.

[Mojambo]

5. The fact that he got re-elected when everyone pretty much KNEW he was crooked

Is a HUGE joke.

I hope he's convicted and locked away sooner rather than later.

[Subdivisions]

7. Serves him right if he's guilty...Now

give us some Republic indictments.

[wuushew]

8. How does a vaccant House seat get filled in LA?

appointment or special election?

[KingFlorez]

13. Special election

[KingFlorez]

11. This is a good thing

Corrupt political figures should be held accountable. The evidence against him is solid.

[ClassWarrior]

15. So is that a real US Attorney or a Bush/Cheney** hack?

NGU.

[Terri S]

16. Damn????

Are you kidding??? Every crook in Washington deserves to be held accountable. So, what are you saying... Yay! if it's 'them'...damn! if it's 'us'?? Sorry, but, if he is guilty, that man isn't 'us'!! Anyone dishonoring the country is not 'us'! Any criminal IS NOT US!!!

If he is indeed guilty of the charges, he deserves whatever he gets.

[luckyleftyme2]

18. LIKE ALWAYS

THEY FRY THE LITTLE FISH,wonder who is gonna pay the penalty for halliburton! opps thats protected by the vp!

[in_cog_ni_to]

19. I take it you didn't read the thread. Please do so before you lecture me, K?

[Terri S]

27. sorry, luv, that wasn't meant to be a lecture, honest!

Who the hell am I to lecture. I think maybe I'm a little confused as to why it seems people are more consiliatory toward Democrats that are less than what we expect in government, and tend to point to the repubs in a kind of 'well they do it worse' attitude. Lord knows, in sheer number and size of offense, the Democrats being put under the ethics microscope are indeed 'small fry', but right is right and wrong is wrong. And if anyone, regardless of party is wrong, they need to be held accountable.

I understand fully that the HUGE crimes of this administration seem to be swept under the carpet, but to have any moral authority (jeez, already that phrase is sounding like a debating cliche) then offenses needs to be judged regardless of who commits them.

I'm sorry if my post came off nasty. Not intentional, I assure you, and not even focused to you..more like bitching to the universe. Just a bit frustrated with .... well, you know... thangs!

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. OK..sorry. I'm in a bit of an irritable mood today.

This thread and the freakin' reactions to ONE WORD..."damn", didn't help. Anyway, I'm sorry.:hi:

[Terri S]

34. nothin to apologize for... been there... lots ;)

:hug:

[rug]

20. He was indicted for scamming a Nigerian official?

[Mojambo]

21. I know. That made me chucke too. n/t

[MadBadger]

22. Can Somebody please tell me why he was reelected?

[KamaAina]

32. 1. White conservatives backed him in record numbers

knowing that this day would eventually come.

2. LA02 includes a large section called the West Bank, actually south of N.O. across the river. "Dollar Bill" had been the congressman there for 16 years. His runoff opponent, Karen Carter, has a political base only in N.O., which includes only a small portion of the West Bank, called "Algiers". Hence, she got creamed over there. I believe Dollar Bill actually lost east bank N.O. but made up for it elsewhere. :eyes:

[youngdem]

24. Throw this piece of shit on the pyre.

He's as guilty as sin. He is NOTORIOUS in town as far as corruption goes. NOTORIOUS member of the old guard.

Fuck him. He's a Repuke as far as I am concerned.

As far as his side of the story, it has been evasion and pleading the fifth. How many stories can there be for $90,000 in marked FBI cash in your freezer at home, and how many stories can there be that explain soliciting bribes of over $1M on camera on numerous occassions?

Fuck him. Burn baby burn.


Throwing him over the side will show we are better than the Repukes.

[Ioo]

25. Why Damn, If he did it he should be indicted. He should go

If we are to pretend that we as Dems hold the moral high ground, he should go. Forget indecent until proven guilty, he should go to save the dems.

[in_cog_ni_to]

29. Now the freakin' repukes have fodder to throw at the Dems...that's why damn.

If he's guilty, he SHOULD BE indicted, but now the repukes will throw this in our faces every damn chance they get. You know how they operate. Also...the MSM! GEEZUS. This is all we'll hear for the next week.:grr:

[onethatcares]

26. and well he should be, although

indictments are one thing, convictions another, greed is a slayer of many. It's hard to denounce the bribe takers on the other side if we don't do the same to ours.

[AngryAmish]

31. This is a distraction

[Greyskye]

33. uh, from what?

The dirty Republican politicians? Jefferson appears to be more crooked than a dogs hind leg. Throw the bum out!