I thought Democrats were...

M

Mike Irwin

Staff
the most ethical people on the face of the planet. Or so it would seem if you listen to Nancy Pelosi...

I guess not, though...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) was indicted on Monday on 16 criminal counts including soliciting bribes and paying off a Nigerian official, a U.S. Justice Department official said.

The lengthy 94-page indictment also charges Jefferson with racketeering, soliciting bribes for his family, fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the official said.

Jefferson, who has denied any wrongdoing, faces a maximum of 235 years in prison if convicted.

The FBI said it caught Jefferson on videotape accepting $100,000 cash intended as a bribe for a Nigerian official, and that $90,000 of that money was found hidden in a freezer in Jefferson's house.

The investigation has focused on whether the Louisiana lawmaker used his position to promote the sale of telecommunications equipment and services offered by a Louisville-based firm to Nigeria, Ghana, and possibly other African nations in return for stock and cash payments.

Jefferson won re-election to a ninth term in Congress in November when voters shrugged off the federal bribery investigation.

November Democrats won control of the U.S. Congress from Bush's Republicans last year, promising to end a "culture of corruption."

Most of the scandals that have rocked Capitol Hill in recent years involved Republicans, many of them briberies tied to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
 
Well finally they might deal with Jefferson. Pelosi has been vacilating about seating the man and putting him on his committee assignments. Now with a real indictment, she might have to forego that.

The Dems are no better than Reps when it comes to earmarks. David Obey, WI, has decided the Appropriations Committee will allow earmarks to be added to bills on the floor of the House, a practice call "airdropping", as you can ram your stuff onto the bill as it finishes with little or no outside scrutiny of what you are doing, or ability of anyone to challenge. The rules change requiring attachment of earmarks in committee had been made in January by the Democrats, one of the few things I think they did right.

Now it is getting in the way of people like Johnny ABSCAM Murtha and Robert Klansman Byrd.

The election is over, so yesterday's heartfelt promise is today's used kleenex.

Some people got the government they deserved, but I voted against all those in Congress "representing" me. So I guess I will just get dragged down the same hole and like it...
 
Reminds me of the joke about the Thibadeaux's wondering what career path their son would choose. They asked some advice from a wise old family friend.

He said one day before he comes home from school put down a $20 bill, bible and a bottle of whiskey. If he picks the $20.00 he will be a merchant, If he picks the bible he will be a minister, If he picks the whiskey he will be a drunk.

They gathered one day at the Thibadeaux household and laid it all out on the table, then hid in the closet. Little Thibadeaux came in and looked at the table. he picked up the $20, the bible and the whiskey and headed to his room. Hot Damn the old family friend said he is going to be a politician.
 
Back in 1980 at the time of the Abscam investigation that snared then
Representative Frank Thompson and then Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey, I wrote to then Senator Bill Bradley asking why couldn't we have
a law passed that stripped government office holders and officials of their
pensions if they were convicted of felonies under Federal law. I got back a
rather blah de blah answer that basically said "no". This was back when Democrats held the White House and both Houses of Congress. Don't recall
anyone introducing such legislation in 1993-1995 when the Democrats ruled in
D.C.
 
Speaker Pelosi will promptly see to it that this matter is referred to the ethics committee, right? :rolleyes: I mean, Nancy will make sure to conduct a bunch of hearings to investigate what Jefford has done, right?

And what ever became of the revelations about Senator Boxer's husband and those special appropriations?

Thank goodness we have the Democrats, the party of the new culture of corruption. :)
 
I think perhaps this investigation should go further than just the bribe indictments, being that he was apparently working with people in Nigeria.

Who was the money going to there? Could it have been going to enemies of the US? If so, that's Gitmo time, isn't it?
 
We need serious changes but the only people allowed to make them are the people who have no interest in seeing them changed. They recently tried to require members to make public any negotiations for jobs as lobbyists but it failed, of course. And why should they when the senator who got the drug companies zillions of dollars of goodies in the Medicare bill went to work a year later as a drug industry lobbyist at one-mill per. That's the big time crime, not the chump change Jefferson got caught with.
 
He's guilty as sin but so far as I know it cost us nothing whereas the Medicare bill cost us billions because the government isnt allowed to price shop for drugs, we're stuck with top price cause lobbyists got to write the freaking bill themselves. Talk about a crime, jeez.
 
Well, you certainly agree that Pelosi should refer this matter to a committee so that Jefford's bribes and contacts with Nigeria can be investigated, right?

Or is Pelosi just too busy with legislation to investigate an unethical member of congress?

I thought that things were going to be different when the Democrats obtained the majority. No more "culture of corruption." Now we have evidence of a congressional democrat taking bribes, and the Democrats don't want an investigation because they need to fix Medicare, first. ;)
 
I thought that things were going to be different when the Democrats obtained the majority. No more "culture of corruption."
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They're politicians so she'll do whatever is politically expedient but I agree that it's more fun to concentrate on a comparatively small crime if it's committed by the opposition party than it is to concentrate on the big ones if they're committed by your own party.
 
A crooked politician? No! Say it ain't so! :eek:
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what is the world coming to?!? :eek: hey, at least the democrats are catching up to the republicans. now they just need a child molestor, someone to stick up for big oil and a little cronyism to round it out. maybe some justice department incompetence for flavor
 
Ah. Now I can finally get some answers!

The lengthy 94-page indictment also charges Jefferson with racketeering, soliciting bribes for his family, fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the official said.

Jefferson, who has denied any wrongdoing, faces a maximum of 235 years in prison if convicted.
Click to expand...

So, is the "relatively small crime" that you are referring consist of the racketeering crime, soliciting bribes crime, the fraud crime, the money laundering crime, the obstructing justice crime, the conspiracy, or the violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? Are all of these crimes "relatively small crimes", or are some of them "medium sized" or "big" crimes? And if any of the crimes constitute medium or big crimes, would an investigation then be justified? Please explain. Thanks! :)
 
Sure. If it costs taxpayers billions of dollars, it's big crime. If our ports were sold to the UAE, it's stupid and big. If we ruin the country with a useless war, it's big. If Duke Cunningham or any other congressman takes bribes that cost us less than billions of dollars, it's less big but certainly fun to concentrate on.
 
I see. So everything that has happened in the last 6 years or so excuses congressional Democrats from acting ethically and/or lawfully. The pesky little things like bribery and corruption just aren't big enough to merit an investigation....well, so long as long as the bribery and corruption were accomplished by a Democrat.

Now I've got the Democratic majority in congress figured out! Thanks! :)
 
I already said he's guilty as sin and I'll add that his fate is sealed just like Cunninghams. And I'll add that he won't be the last Dem or Rep to take bribes. Right-wingers, sheesh.
 
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