William Jefferson: Could We Remove Him From His Committee Now?
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Saw that coming.
A federal grand jury has indicted Lousiana Rep. William Jefferson (D), accusing him of soliciting bribes for himself and his family, and also charging him of bribing an official of the Nigerian government.
Also to note for the record: Can the last person with any brains at the Congressional Black Caucus please turn the lights off? This is the horse you guys chose to back.
Previously:
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18 Responses to “William Jefferson: Could We Remove Him From His Committee Now?”
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© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
Yeah, if the guy was taking bribes he should have been gone already.
Although, if each of the 435 members of Congress were offered 100 grand in cash I’m wondering how many of them would be able to walk away empty handed???
As a Dem I say get him out of sight out of mind…NOW.
Dems need to send a strong message to the public that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated.
Jefferson needs to be stripped of all commitee appointments ASAP. The CBC needs to get on board with this or they will look dangerously out of touch in light of this case and the idiotic debate they are co-sponsoring on FNC.
Nancy Pelosi tried to put him on the sidelines, but the CBC started screaming.
And then, the people in his district re-Elected him!! In one of the most incomprehensible results of the 2006 Election.
I would almost rather a Republican was elected than a Dem like this.
I am happy the indictment has finally come through, so we can bring another crook to Justice.
I think the CBC has to look at its stance and actions in this case and do some soul-searching (no pun intended).
Soul-searching (no pun intended)
LOL ….even I find that funny….
Off topic but just had to write: When I looked at your site just now the top corner ad said “Free Newt!”, which momentarily made me catch my breath that Newt had been imprisoned and already the resources of the “Free Scooter!” foundation had been transferred over.
But alas, it’s free as in beer, not free as in freedom, i.e., you can now get Newt! for free. What is frightening about this is that implies that, until this moment, there were people willing to *pay* for Newt. Eewww!
“And then, the people in his district re-Elected him!! In one of the most incomprehensible results of the 2006 Election.”
This didn’t surprise me at all. Remember, it was a run-off election between two Democrats. Guess who the Republicans voted for.
“Free Newt!”
…with the purchase of one of equal or lesser value.
So, you get a Free Newt to go with your already Worthless one?
Wellstone, if you remember, a lot of House Republicans started screaming in his defense as well. Don’t get me wrong, the CBC deserves every bit of criticism it gets over this, and then some.
You said it much more succinctly than I did, Oliver. I never understood the logic behind the CBC members backing Jefferson for a spot on the Homeland Security committee (!) and giving funds for his re-election campaign. I wrote a post here on this that might interest you.
You guys are right: It wasn’t just the CBC, it was a lot of House Dems AND Republicans who spoke up in favor of Jefferson.
They were all upset that the Congress’s traditional freedom from having their offices searched and evidence taken by the FBI was breached. I do beilieve that case is not yet decided.
But Jefferson has been under a cloud since 2005 when he was caught. When Pelosi and the Dems won last November, it was a huge problem for her to deal with.
She wanted him off all committees right away until there was a decision from the Feds whether to indict. I recall the Dem Congressional reelection committee cut back on their support for his campaign, and he was left to his own devices.
In fact, on December 12, she severed him from the influential Ways and Means Committee, and only appointed him to the Small Businesss committee under alleged presssure from the CBC.
So, yeah, other people were speaking out in favor of Jefferson, but I believe it was the CBC who spoke the loudest.
You guys are right: It wasn’t just the CBC, it was a lot of House Dems AND Republicans who spoke up in favor of Jefferson.
They were all upset that the Congress’s traditional freedom from having their offices searched and evidence taken by the FBI was breached. I do beilieve that case is not yet decided.
But Jefferson has been under a cloud since 2005 when he was caught. When Pelosi and the Dems won last November, it was a huge problem for her to deal with.
She wanted him off all committees right away until there was a decision from the Feds whether to indict. I recall the Dem Congressional reelection committee cut back on their support for his campaign, and he was left to his own devices.
In fact, on December 12, she severed him from the influential Ways and Means Committee, and only appointed him to the Small Businesss committee under alleged presssure from the CBC.
So, yeah, other people were speaking out in favor of Jefferson, but I believe it was the CBC who spoke the loudest.
He should be forced to resign from Congress in shame. After all, isn’t that what has happened to other the congressmen who have been indicted in recent years?
“He should be forced to resign from Congress in shame. After all, isn’t that what has happened to other the congressmen who have been indicted in recent years?” Mike
Yes, there has been and should always be shame.
I’m still waiting for DeLay’s moment of truth. Until then I’ll have to put up with seeing his face on my TV from time to time as he commiserates with fellow wing nut personalities. No shame there.
Yeah, DeLay only resigned when it became clear he was going to lose re-election and the thought of being beaten by a Dem in Sugarland was too much for him. He’s never admitted wrongdoing and still smiles and does the God act.
And of course, Delay’s feat of hubris only made it that much harder for the GOP in Sugarland, which had to keep Delay on the ballot and his replacement as a write-in.
“He should be forced to resign from Congress in shame.”
Yep. He should resign while he is under indictment and he can run again if he’s found innocent.
From The Hill, May 24, 2006:
“Calling the Saturday-night raid an “invasion of the legislative branch,” House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) predicted the case would eventually be resolved in the Supreme Court and hinted that Congress would take further action. The majority leader said Hastert would take the lead on the issue because he is the chief constitutional officer in the House.
“I am sure there will be a lot more said about this,” Boehner said.