The following has been retrieved from the August 7th, 2004 New Orleans Times-Picayune, with the help of our friend LexisNexis:
U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of New Orleans must be a hot commodity these days.
After turning heads at the Democratic National Convention in Boston last week by serving up a blistering call to party leaders not to ignore black voters in their rush for "the elusive white male vote," the state's highest-ranking African-American politician said he was asked by Republican officials to switch parties.
If Jefferson ever were to cross the aisle to become a Republican, he would immediately be a star on the national scene as the only black Republican in Congress. But Jefferson said he decided to leave the Grand Old Party out in the cold. There is "not a chance" that he would even "entertain" a switch in parties, he said.
I forget the timeline here, so I don't know if Jefferson was stuffing cash in the freezer in the summer of 2004.
I'm sure the offer is off the table now a days. Even if Jefferson's most dedicated backers in DC have been Republicans.
Such as Speaker Hastert, who wants the FBI to return documents from the raid on Jefferson's office.
Man, those Republicans are fumbling the reaction to this situation, aren't they?