Cold cash, hot Democrat mess
Jury selection is now underway in the William “Cold Cash” Jefferson corruption trial. My syndicated column today revisits the case as a new Rasmussen poll shows Democrats losing to Republicans on ethics and corruption.
Cold cash, hot Democrat mess
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009
Remember William “Cold Cash” Jefferson? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Clean-Up Crew hope you’ve forgotten. Jefferson is the former Louisiana congressman caught with gobs of money in his freezer nearly four years ago in an FBI sting. He finally went on trial this week on a multitude of federal bribery and racketeering charges.
Refresher: FBI agents confronted Jefferson with video showing him accepting $100,000 in marked bills from a government informant. Prosecutors say he took the money to bribe a Nigerian official in a business deal. “We got to motivate him real good,” Jefferson told the informant, according to a Justice Department transcript. “He’s got a lot of people to pay off.”
Prosecutors also allege that he demanded or accepted many other payments to Jefferson family-owned firms in exchange for his aid in winning regulatory approval for projects in several West African countries. All but $10,000 of the marked cash was found foil-wrapped in the freezer of Jefferson’s Capitol Hill residence. On tape, Jefferson “questioned how his reputation could survive” and wondered aloud to the feds whether the search warrant affidavit could be permanently sealed to keep the information from being made public.
Jefferson’s defense team is making an audacious claim that Jefferson’s actions were all “private” and had nothing to do with his official capacities as a lawmaker. Jefferson promises to deliver an “honorable explanation” for deep-freezing the money (arts and crafts project? science experiment?). No word on whether he’ll explain why he plotted to leave the tax-paying public in the dark.
Also no word on how his family members could have possibly cashed in on his name, influence, and prestige if Jefferson were just another citizen acting “privately.” The New Orleans Times-Picayune’s Stephanie Grace reported this week that “the tight-knit clan with the damaged name includes several siblings who also benefited from Jefferson’s power and prominence — and who stand accused in a newly revamped federal indictment of forming a criminal enterprise to steer an appalling amount of federal, state and city money into their own pockets. Last year, Jefferson’s political operative brother Mose and his assessor sister Betty, along with Betty’s daughter, were charged with systematically bilking government-funded social service programs. Another sister is cooperating with the feds.”
So, where’s the congressional clean-up crew?
Refresher: In January 2006, still basking in the glory of her ascension, Speaker Pelosi announced a “Clean House Team to Address [the] Republican Culture of Corruption.” A press release trumpeted: “It is long past time for the Congress to address the systemic Republican culture of corruption that has undermined the American people’s confidence in this institution,” Pelosi said. “I am proud that some of the best minds in our Caucus will be leading the Democratic effort to clean up the corrupt Republican Congress. These great leaders will work to restore truth and trust to the People’s House.”
The Jefferson family case has all the Beltway business-as-usual ingredients that Speaker Pelosi vowed to eliminate when she took power: nepotism, abuse of power, corporate cronyism, and gross violations of the public trust. But Jefferson is a black Democrat who has been fiercely defended by both the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Democrats are all too willing to lambaste corruption among their political foes, but fear the wrath of race-card players in their own party. It has muted criticism of tax-cheating, self-dealing New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, under investigation for numerous ethical improprieties in his personal finances and fundraising activities; congressional sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez, under investigation by the House ethics committee for a payroll mess; and crony of color Rep. Maxine Waters, who had a personal and financial stake in Boston-based OneUnited, a minority bank that received $12 million in federal TARP bailout money.
Putting the Democratic culture of corruption front and center is not a headache Nancy Pelosi needs — especially as a new Rasmussen poll shows her party now losing to Republicans on the core issue of governmental integrity. The Rasmussen Report reveals:
“Republicans also now hold a six-point lead on the issue of government ethics and corruption, the second most important issue to all voters and the top issue among unaffiliated voters. That shows a large shift from May, when Democrats held an 11-point lead on the issue.”
It’s a sharp and timely reminder that while death, taxes, and “temporary” bailouts are forever, political fortunes in Washington are never immutable.
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YAY!!! Republicans now suck slightly less than the Democrats!!!!
I think the fine people of the civil rights era would weep to see what the NAACP has become, and how dishonorably their descendants have used the legacy they were given.
Jefferson must’ve thought he was Movin’ On Up to the Eastside. And finally had a piece of the pie.
His use of troops and equipment to visit his unflooded home on Marengo St. in uptown New Orleans after Katrina, while people from the ninth ward were still in attics, on roofs and in the superdome says all I need to know about the man, and negates the race card. Buh-Bye.
Great! This trend toward the GOP means they can have big wins in 2010 and then start getting the bribes themselves! I doubt the GOP will use this opportunity to actually LEAD!
“It was my life savings I put in the freezer before the hurricane hit, cause my freezer floats.”
However, I do prefer the small, semi-private corruption of Jefferson to the massive government corruption of TARP and the GM bailout.
All finger pointing was squarely focused on Bush at the time. He knew he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, for as long as he wanted.
Another corrupt Democrat to investigate is Corrine Brown of Florida. She is a doozy,too.
She may not have cold cash in her freezer, but she has an ethical complaint list and missing/owed money, but she also used her office during a tropical storm last year in Jacksonville. She called the city, as a single woman, and demanded that they send help to sandbag her home. Prisoners were sent to do the job while other homes in the neighborhood flooded.
Guess what? She now wants to run for US Senate! Guess she will qualify with her background…
Here you go, if you want to read more on Corrine Brown.
freezer burn and other like minded democrats, that is alot of them, are prone to corruption and unethical behavior. looking at who they are explains a lot. when lowlifes are elected they remain what they are only with new found power. if you consider the garbage in office and who the crooks are one quickly realizes that if they were not in office they would already be in jail. these parasites were already corrupt when they were put in office. crap is only one thing, crap, and many belong to the democrat party, the same party that favors voters being allowed to vote without having to prove they are citizens, or allowing felons to vote, see a pattern, they have to take care of their own.
Errah, Silly Rabbit, the POTUS already has the pardon from DOJ sitting in his in basket as we speak. This is just another distraction from the additional 2.5 T needed to start the discussion on Obamacare. Someone please put a Lowjak device on Axlerod and find out where he is today. That’s probably much more interesting than this story or Will Farrell.
Holder: “Here I come to save the day! Mighty Mouse is on his way!”
Yep.
I’ve thought that for the past 35 years or so, when every flaky fringe group began coming out of the woodwork clamoring for protection of their “civil rights”, and thus perverted the civil rights movement.
Politically incorrect to say this, I know, but tough ***t!
Goddammit, it’s the truth….
Errah, this is all a simple mistake. Jefferson received an email from a Nigerian Prince who won a lottery and needed a representative in the USA to help him with his overseas holdings . . . . .
Once Pelosi got her jumbo jet, she forgot all about cleaning up political corruption. Dems only want to clean up GOP corruption. Know about Joe the Plumber was much more important than investigating Jefferson, Rangel, Murtha or any other sleeze. How many tax cheats work for this administration? I’ve lost count.
thats right uncled Ted! Jefferson is just a victim of the white racist republicans!!
just like you were a victim of Mary Jo Kopechne
Lights, camera, ACTION!! Let the courtroom acting begin. Bring in a new deck of race cards. Voice coach needed for “whiney whines” practice. OH the injustice, the suffering, the poor, poor man. Forced to live on the paltry salary of a senator, along with the fringe benefits, the per diem. I predict he will get the maximum penalty, maybe even the DREADFUL COMFY CHAIR or FORCED TO PROMISE NOT TO BE BAD EVER AGAIN!!!
wonder how long it will take the (in)justice department to drop the case?
But without a cup of coffee at eleven!
Before 2010
The money was infested with lice and I put it in the freezer to kill them.
Notice the lack of outrage from either side. There is no excuse. Congressional bribe recipients should get an express lane to the death penalty.
That’s right.
From personal experience, I know it is very difficult to level a refrigerator. In fact, I switched from using wooden shims and the built-in leveling screws to stuffing a wad of paper under a short leg.
I’ll bet Jefferson was just trying to use the weight of, oh, say, about $85,000 of frozen bills to balance his Frididaire. I’ll have to try that next time.
Let him go free.
Errah, why would I need a car that floats when I can walk on water? Beside the old Olds in now covered by Mr. Goodwrench at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue.
Please, they are ALL corrupt. Jefferson was corrupt AND stupid.
Oh, yeah. Please ask the IRS to audit Mr. Jefferson’s taxes. I suspect he didn’t pay taxes on the bribes he received. Sorry, but bribes paid are not deductable, bribes received are taxable. Please liquidate assets to pay taxes, interest and penalties.
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I wish the very racist persecution of “cold cash” Jefferson would stop. This unfair prosecution must be happening due to some evil BOOOOSH attorney left in the DOJ. Mr. Jefferson was just SPREADING SOME OF THE WEALTH AROUND–in his direction.
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Let’s stop this useless prosecution of an obviously innocent man. Let’s use the court to get some really guilty people sent to jail for their real crimes. Put George Bush, Carl Rove, and Dick Cheney in the dock instead–for their crimes of defending the U.S.A. after the 9/11/2001 “man caused disaster”!
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John Bibb
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Of course he is backed by the NAACP and the Black Caucas on this,I am sure they had a piece coming their way.Anyone taking odds on his aquittal?
Let’s not forget that then GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert rushed to the defense of Jefferson’s claim that the search was illegal. What ever happened to the clueless Hastert anyway?
Uh, Michelle, I hate to point out the obvious, but Pelosi Galore only intended to investgate the Republicans.
Just like it was more important to wrest control of the House away from the Republicans instead of to protest “torture” in the CIA. She is a political tart, who can’t help herself.
I’m not sure this is off topic but Palua has agreed to accept 17 Chinese detainees from Guantanamo “as a humanitarian gesture”.
Let’s see, $200 million divided by 17. Even the Dodgers wouldn’t spend that much to dump Manny.
I think the key phrase from the Pelosi proclamation is not being properly analyzed…
She never said anything about cleaning up the corrupt DEMOCRAT Congress…
You are all focusing on the wrong issue here. Queen Nancy is not yet finished using her hatred of Bush as a crutch. She commands that you all remain distracted! How dare you point out the truth! Obviously, this entire rash of fact finding is one of the leftover scourges of the Bush administration!!
/sarc off
Hopefully Jefferson will get sent to the “cooler” for awhile.