This from drudgereport.com:
Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings -- even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.
On Friday, Sept. 2 -- five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast -- Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where thousands of evacuees had been taken.
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At worst, Jefferson abused his power as a Congressman to flit in and rescue his stuff. At best, he failed to recognize his opportunity to use his power to benefit others while he was there, as a Congressman would hopefully be concerned enough to check out a disaster area in person. I don't have enough faith in politicians in general to assume the best in many cases, and Jefferson may be a Democrat, but that isn't enough to give him a bye.
Although several people were rescued due to the attention garnered by his visit, I have to say that this looks like someone succumbing to temptation and opportunism. I am emailing his office after this post to inform them of my opinion.
This is an opportunity for us as well, to demonstrate that we monitor our own side for propriety as well as monitoring the military-industrialites. I would be praising him if he had stayed.