Negative Nabobs and William Jefferson

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile made some news today during a segment with Farai, this by urging indicted Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA) to resign. As Brazile put it: "I personally hope that he would do what"s best for his family and his constituents and put his legal case before everything else and allow someone else to step up and represent that district."

Here's a fuller transcript of her comments:

If there's one congressional district in America that needs a full-time lawmaker focused and committed to the recovery of the Gulf Coast, it's the second congressional district of Louisiana. And on that note, I personally would hope that he would do what's best for his family and his constituents and put his legal case before everything else and allow someone else to step up and represent that district.

I think he has every right to go to court and I personally, like many other people, will help Bill Jefferson raise money to clear his name if that's possible. But this is about integrity. And he's a member of Congress, he's been indicted now on 16 counts; I have not [read] the full 94-page report. But I'm also pleading because of the residents of that great wonderful city that needs his leadership, needs his attention. And right now he can not give them his full ... I'm not playing this as a political game, I'm playing this personally because my own family and many other families in the Gulf Coast deserve good, you know, good leadership.

As recently as January, Jefferson got a standing ovation at a Congressional Black Caucus banquet, with master of ceremonies Michael Eric Dyson saying of Jefferson's re-election: "The haters... and negative nabobs...the people who spoke against him couldn't prevail against the people who spoke for him."

But what do you think? Is Brazile right? Should Jefferson resign?

Gary Dauphin

8:50 PM ET | 06- 6-2007 | permalink

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