REPOST FROM MAY 9TH!!!!! I'm not going to even add all the new crud which is self-explanatory. Main point, I posted this May 9th, several great comments from LA KOSSACKS and we're still fiddling with this issue!!!!!
I am not going to be one to wax poetic about the need to win every Democratic seat possible. But the situation with Jefferson in LA is reaching a point where the leadership must take this up head on.
The accusations are just that, accusations, but as TPM details, the prosecutor's case is getting stronger by the day.
The filing deadline in LA is August 11th, I don't think the leadership should wait until August 10th to see how things play out
I know Jefferson has been working hard to help the victims of hurricane Katrina but the charges that may be leveled against Mr. Jefferson are substantial.
Pelosi must act decisively with respect to Mr Jefferson's situation. Corruption in congress will not be the one single issue that drives voters to the polls in November. Corruption as it applies to run away energy prices and a spiralling deficit that is crippling the economy will be salient in November. The Democratic Party will not be able to trip the light fantastic and grab a congressional majority while trying to get on the high horse above the culture of corruption, IF WE DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO CORRUPT OFFICIALS IN OUR OWN CAUCUS.
I hope and pray for Mr. Jefferson but my hopes and prayers won't protect him if he's found guilty and they certainly won't help the drip, drip, drip of an indictment, legal bickering, and the 'let the voter's decide' slugfest. The time for the leadership to analyze this case is NOW.
Read more here:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/...
here's a clip
The affidavit, for instance, shows the FBI considering a number of charges against Jefferson: bribery of a public official, bribery of a foreign official, two fraud charges, and a conspiracy charge. The FBI argued that Jefferson had accepted and was continuing to seek bribes in exchange for "official acts."
The judge's order also discloses that the affadavit contains information derived from recordings of conversations with Jefferson. According to the order, a "cooperating witness" - identified in news reports as Lori Mody, a multimillionaire who invested in iGate, a telecommunications company for which Jefferson was trying to secure a contract in Nigeria - engaged in "consensually recorded telephone conversations with Congressman Jefferson and [wore] a wire while engaged in face-to-face meetings with the Congressman." Prior reports had cited anonymous sources as saying that Mody had worn a wire. The order also shows that the government used wiretaps to gather evidence in the case, although it's not clear whether it was Jefferson who was the target of the wiretaps.
Perhaps most significant is that prosecutors did not contest the unsealing of the affidavit, admitting that they had nothing to fear from its being made public. The investigation "is no longer in its preliminary stages," prosecutors wrote, adding "any danger that the government's access to potential witnesses might be affected by the unsealing of the affidavit is minimal, if existent at all." Two targets of the investigation have already pled guilty - Jefferson's former aide Brett Pfeffer and the CEO of iGate Vernon Jackson. Both have implicated Jefferson, identified as "Representative A" in their plea agreements.