NPR: Federal Grand Jury Indicts La. Congressman

Federal Grand Jury Indicts La. Congressman

Democratic Rep. William Jefferson will finally get his day in court ... even if he didn't want to have one.

A federal grand jury has indicted the Louisiana congressman on 16 charges, including soliciting bribes, money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. He also is charged with bribing a Nigerian government official.

CBS News reports that the indictments are the latest development in a 16-month investigation into allegations that Jefferson accepted $100,000 from a telecommunications businessman. Federal investigators found $90,000 in his freezer almost two years ago.

Jefferson has denied any wrongdoing and was re-elected last November, despite the bribery allegation hanging over him.

Jefferson's case is an odd one because of the events leading up to the indictment. When Jefferson's Capitol Hill office was raided by the FBI, he was defended by none other than then-GOP Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters says Hastert's "inane attempt" to defend Jefferson might have even hurt Republicans in the 2006 elections and delayed the indictment against Jefferson.

Current Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi did remove Jefferson from the Ways and Means Committee, but, under pressure from the Congressional Black Caucus, she tried to appoint him to the Homeland Security Committee. The Democrats backed down when Republicans threatened a floor vote on his appointment.

Jeff Crouere, who hosts a PBS show in Louisiana called "Ringside Politics," wrote recently at the PoliticsLA.com blog that Jefferson's case will not improve the state's "well-earned reputation" for corruption: "... Jefferson's continued presence in Congress will be a reminder to everyone that Louisiana political corruption is alive and well. Our state's corrupt past and present is one of the reasons Louisiana always finds itself in such a precarious position."

3:22 PM ET | 06- 4-2007 | permalink

Comments

I prey that we don't have to suffer a
Budd Dwyer type incident on this one!

Sent by dan | 7:31 PM ET | 06-04-2007

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