The Problem
Posted on | December 12, 2006
The apparent corruption of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) is not going away, despite the wishful thinking of incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who
stripped Jefferson of his seat on the influential Ways and Means Committee in June and has hinted that she may place him on no committee when the 110th Congress convenes next month. But a source close to Pelosi said yesterday that she is more likely to place him on a lower-profile committee and hope the controversy dies down.
Guess what’s coming, though, to keep interest alive?
Sources familiar with the probe said Jefferson will be indicted, probably in the first half of 2007. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said investigators have been looking at about a dozen business deals in the United States and Africa in which Jefferson allegedly used his official position for financial gain.
An indictment has been delayed because of a protracted legal battle over documents the FBI seized from Jefferson’s office in May, according to sources. U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan, who signed the search warrant, later ruled that the raid was constitutional.
Representatives like Jefferson and Miller are part of the reason Congress is changing hands, but were fortunate enough to keep their seats in the election dust-up. They are precisely the Old Guard who need to be retired.
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