Tuesday, May 30th, 2006...5:46 pm
Some Thoughts On Rep. William Jefferson
I’ve got a couple of not necessarily related, and possibly contradictory thoughts on the whole William Jefferson thing.
If these allegations turn out to be true, Jefferson should be thrown out of Congress and serve some serious time. This goes without saying, but I’m saying it anyway because some conservative wag who posts here will allege I’m excusing his behavior either because he’s a Democrat, or African-American or maybe he’s a Revs fan.
The snide, cynical bastard inside of me thinks this, however: at least this was bare, naked corruption. Vichi, as my Sonoran relatives say. He didn’t ask for the donation to go to a PAC that pays his wife’s six-figure salary. This wasn’t money from gambling interests or Pacific Rim slave runners funnelled to a church. There was no wink and nod gift to a phony charity. This was old fashioned CREEP/Tamany Hall/Federal Ring style briefcase-full-of-money bribery. There is something twistedly honest about that.
I’ve been watching with great amusement the handwringing from Republican congressmen about the raid on Jefferson’s office. Heck, Darrell Issa casually mentioned impeaching Alberto Gonzales over this. Where was this outrage when Gonzales claimed the right to wiretap any citizen without a warrant? I guess its a bit different when it looks like your office could be searched.
Hey, at least the FBI asked for a warrant for Jefferson’s office.
6 Comments
May 30th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
As a progressive Democrat, I think Nancy Pelosi should demand Jefferson’s resignation. He had money stuffed in his freezer and is on tape taking the money.
Democrats must demand that their members in Congress be above reproach. Jefferson should resign.
May 31st, 2006 at 1:59 am
Yeah, there is something refreshingly old-fashioned about straight-up bribe solicitation and receiving. Having said that, if Rep. Jefferson is guilty every Dem (including me) should call for his ouster from office.
Anything less from would be hypocritical given how loudly we have denounced Delay, Cunningham, Ney, and the Abramhoff gang.
We need to clean out all the dirty members of Congress, not just the dirty Repubs.
Expecting that all Dems in Congress be above reproach is a nice but unrealistic ideal; better to expect that we hold our own as accountable for their actions as we do the Reps.
May 31st, 2006 at 2:06 am
He does need to go.
The problem with the FBI raid is that it erodes the whole separation of powers. The Constitution makes it very clear that the executive branch does not have primacy over the legislative branch. Hence Congress has its own rules and enforcement mechanisms. They have failed in the past (and I’ve made no bones about that) but it is still clearly the responsibility of Congress to police Congress.
That is not to say that congressmen are above the law. The FBI (an extension of the executive branch) can still investigate a congressman, and the $90 K (a whole new meaning to ‘cold, hard cash’) is valid evidence because his home is not where he conducts his official business. His office, in contrast, is. And they don’t need it to get a conviction, they got Duke Cunningham and Dan Rostenkowski without searching their offices.
But ultimately if any part of the executive branch is given the authority to police Congress, then that moves us in the direction of a dictatorship (especially should someone truly evil and unscrupulous become President some day). And that is a much more dangerous to the future of the Republic than any single corrupt congressman. And I say that even though my own congressman joins Jefferson on the
“http://www.beyonddelay.org/summaries/renzi.php”>’13 most ethically challenged congressmen’ list (yes, I live in Richmond Ricky’s district).
May 31st, 2006 at 2:09 am
Whoops, that links should be:
13 most ethically challenged congressmen.
May 31st, 2006 at 4:55 am
It’s reached the point where Jefferson has to go, guilty or not. The longer he hangs around, teh longer he drags this out, the worse it’s going to be.
He should do the honorable thing, and resign. Of course, those who accept bribes aren’t generally those inclined to do the honorable thing.
June 2nd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
But remember, there were Democrats in the “Abramoff gang” as well.
But, this guy looks about as guilty as can be with money in the freezer and being caught on tape. Of course Jefferson can always use the Marion Barry defense after being caught on video smoking crack, “The Bitch set me up.”