Federal agents searched the Capitol Hill office of a Louisiana congressman under investigation on bribery charges Sunday, while newly released court papers said agents found $90,000 in cash last year in his Washington home.In a 95-page affidavit used to obtain a warrant for the office search, investigators stated that an August 2005 search of Democratic Rep. William Jefferson’s home turned up the cash sum in a freezer.
The money was divided among various frozen food containers, according to the heavily redacted affidavit.
Agents told a judge the money was part of a $100,000 payment that had been delivered by an informant in the bribery probe, which already has led to guilty pleas by a Kentucky businessman and a former Jefferson aide.
FBI agents searched Jefferson’s office in the Rayburn House Office Building from Saturday evening to early Sunday afternoon, bureau spokeswoman Debra Weierman said. One government official told CNN the search marked the first time FBI agents have searched a lawmaker’s Capitol Hill office.
The cloud over Jefferson comes as Democratic leaders have been attacking what they call a “culture of corruption” surrounding the Republican leadership in Congress.
I guess if you count this as a numbers game — counting how many members of Congress of which flavor over what period of time were on the take — you could indict the Republikans for a “culture of corruption”. So, where were the independent-minded and ethical members of either Party — ready to lead an investigation into official corruption and cronyism — all this time?
Huey and Earl Long were LA democrats. Bribery and political nuttiness isn’t a crime there, it’s a tradition. 😉
I was so glad to see it was a Democrat. I was afraid the Republicans weren’t leaving enough scraps for the poor Democrats. When one party has so much power, it becomes too easy to demonize that party, when the roots of the problem really are power, politics, and a system created by those who profit from it, regardless of party.
Regarding Eideard’s question about where were the leaders of either party, though, the answer is that the minority party cannot launch any probe without the support of the majority party. That’s the reason we never found out which companies came together under Cheney’s leadership in 2001 to lay down plans for America’s energy policy. The General Accounting Office and Democrats wanted desperately to know, but had no subpoena power without Republican approval. Somehow, that approval never came.
Just sad, Eideard. You’ll even use an anti-Democrats story to take a pot shot at the right.
Love it. Democrat gets caught stealing, and he turns it around. Really burns your ass that this guy doesn’t have an (R) after his name doesn’t it?
A good example of government corruption…
Government officials should be closely monitored and have their assets audited yearly. If things don’t add up, there’s got to be a good reason why…
There was no hue and cry because corruption has become so deeply ingrained into the political landscape that it’s just the way things work. Kind of like an exterminator with a ball bat; kill a few bugs here, a few bugs there but there’s just so many it doesn’t make a difference; your still infested.
The so-called intellectual elite have run things for so long that people can’t conceive of any other ways of doing things. Maybe, just maybe, we should boot the lawyers, accountants and insurance agents out of Washington, toss all the laws, codes and regulations out, keep the Declaration Of Independance and the Bill Of Rights (The Ten Commandments?), elect plain old people to office and start over.
But then the American people would actually have to pay attention to the details of government, and I’m not sure we have that within us anymore.
Jefferson has needed to go for a while.
Now if Kennedy, Pelosi, and “Sanctimonious” Santorum would be next to go….
Are you all so caught up in your petty points of view that you can’t see a bad guy is a bad guy regardless of party?
You want to know why more Republicans are on the payroll than Democrats? It has nothing to do with one being better than the other – it has everything to do with DeLay being a radical neocon and funneling money only to his troops. If DeLay was a democrat then the democrats would be the ones with a bigger. Simple.
As it is they’re all getting plenty of perks.
I’m shocked that a congressman comes that cheap.I hear you can buy a Senator for a million.
Not yet – Soon though.
I think you missed the point of my post.
well boys…..the Democrats(we are pure as the driven snow) have just raised the ante in the game of who is the most corrupt. A class action law company that has given the Democrats 2.8 million plus since 1999 just got indicted for all kinds of fraud. Oh…they did give the Republicans 24,000 dollars total since 1999.
The list includes, Hillary, Kerry, Gore, and on and on and on…..plus Mr. Ira(i never met an honest CEO) Spitzer of New York got 152,000 dollars from them.
John McCain is right……money is corruption in politics.
A Government For the people, by the people, ….
Can we SHOOT these folks for treason??
It could REALLy curtail them taking bribes..
I guess Democrats taking money from a corrupt(presumably) class action law firm isn’t news?
Whoa !!! We are getting two sides here. Paul is saying (and rightly so) that Delay hasn’t been tried, let alone convicted. Joshua is pointing out that a Law Firm that supports Democrats was accused of Fraud. And therefore the Democrats are all evil.
If Jefferson is guilty, give him the pro-rated time that Duke Cunningham got. Which was what, six years for over 2.3 million dollars. That would be around 100 days. If they find Jefferson took more bribe money, then sure, increase the sentence.
Then we can look forward to Delay’s trial, then Bob Ney’s indictment. Oh, we can’t forget the Scooter Libby criminal trial with the possible, and my favorite, Karl Rove Inquisition. Should we also mention the possible Bush & Cheney impeachment?
I doubt many politicians are truly corrupt. They might lean towards supporting those that run in their circles, but that doesn’t make them corrupt. And if your representative votes a different way then you want, vote for someone else.