Jefferson Indicted
Via the AP: Jury indicts Jefferson in bribery probe
William Jefferson, D-La., was indicted Monday on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Africa.
The indictment handed up in federal court in Alexandria., Va., Monday is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years. He is charged with racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes for himself and his family, and also for bribing a Nigerian official.
I am hardly surprised that he was indicted, but wowie: 94 pages?
I feel I can safely speak for all Dems/leftys when I say:
’bout damn time!
The way I hear it, the prosecutors ran out of time. They took so long trying to build a case, it was indict now or never. I’ll bet 93 of those 94 pages are trivial crap that’ll never come to trial. It sounds to me like the government has a weak case in spite of all the pre-trial bluster.
Hopefully his jail cell will have a freezer in it so he will feel at home.
William,
I dunno… I can’t see the African officials Jefferson (allegedly) fleeced by taking their overt bribe money & then dissing them as being terribly cooperative. Having the man on video grabbing the cash from a car & then finding the cash in his freezer seems pretty slam-bang on at least some of the charges. And really, that’s all I want – a quick conviction on even a few of the felonies he’s committed so we can pry him out of office ASAP.
Ha, good one Anjin-san. Thanks for the laugh.
Isn’t “cooler” slang for prison?
We want the same thing, legion — “a quick conviction on even a few of the felonies he’s committed so we can pry him out of office ASAP”.
The trouble is, all we’ve heard is the prosecution’s press releases so far. It sounds like a slam dunk, but I’ve seen cases like this fall apart under defense questioning. These long-running investigations, where they are forced to indict just before the clock runs out, often means they don’t have a good case.
Blanco, Nagin and Jefferson are making me want to contribute to Katrina recovery. Build medium levies rather than maximum. Build a huge fountain as a fashion statement rather than…. ahh, never mind.
The Democrats have failed miserably. They have yet to have one part of their “first 100 hours” agenda signed into law. Right now I see a party whose members are full of hot air and who are making hollow promises to the American taxpayers.
Thankfully we have people like Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) and others who have never lost their vision for the party or for America’s future. Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers and her fellow Republicans are working hard on the issues which will have the most impact on our small businesses, farmers, working families, homeowners, and taxpayers across our entire country. REAL lawmakers like her do not care who gets the credit, they just want to do the job that we expect of them and to do it right!
Instead of pretending that the liberation in Iraq is the only issue before the American people, our members are working hard on fully funding the men and women who selflessly serve in our military, alternative energy, making tax relief permanent, ensuring that we have a competitive 21st century workforce, and access to affordable health care. The Republicans in Congress also look for long term and cost effective solutions that target the real challenges that we are facing. Their solutions do not call for higher taxes and they seek to limit the size and scope of government.
Nancy Pelosi, Hilary Clinton, Harry Reid, and the other ultra liberal Democrats believe that government is the solution. We Republicans know that it is the problem and that the best way to prosper is through free markets and getting the government out of the way of the private sector!
I guess that explains the vast expansion of the federal government under Bush.
I have read, or even skimmed, the indictment, and it’s certainly possible that the timing was motivated by statute of limitations concerns. But I don’t draw the same inference from a 94-page indictment that commenter William d’Inger has. Why assume they’re filled with fluff instead of with specific factual allegations that are very detailed?
Gah. “Haven’t read,” should have said.
Maybe he can share a cell with Cunningham