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Cold Cash Congressman to Lead Katrina Tours
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ShareAugust 22, 2006 6:40 PM
The Louisiana Democratic Congressman caught on FBI surveillance tapes taking $90,000 in cash has been selected by the Democratic Congressional caucus to lead a delegation from Capitol Hill on a tour of New Orleans next week to "join in prayer with the people of the region, to reflect and remember."
Jefferson has denied any wrongdoing in a case that sparked controversy when the FBI searched his Capitol Hill offices. The cash was discovered in a freezer in Jefferson's home.
"To pick somebody who's clearly having problems is insensitive," says Ken Boehm, Chairman of the National Legal Policy Center, a political ethics watchdog group, "I suppose if Representative Cunningham could get out of federal prison, they could have him lead the tour."
Ironically, Katrina victims will likely remember a previous Jefferson tour of New Orleans when he commandeered a National Guard escort to check on his own home and save his belongings while residents clung to rooftops awaiting rescue, as first reported by ABC News National Correspondent Jake Tapper.
Several days after the storm hit, Jefferson asked the National Guard to take him on a tour of the flooded portions of his congressional district. A five ton military truck and a half dozen military police were dispatched. National Guardsmen later told ABC News that Jefferson asked the truck to take him to his home on Marengo Street in an affluent uptown neighborhood. Water was up to the 3rd step, and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson spent about an hour inside the house while soldiers waited outside.
Jefferson defended the expedition, saying he set out to see how residents were coping at the Superdome and in his neighborhood district. He also insisted that he did not ask the National Guard to transport him but that they did so of their own accord for "safety" reasons.
"The classic saying is, 'Congressmen live in a bubble,' and...in this case, it's true," says Boehm. "They don't interact with the public enough to have a real sense of about how the public feels about these types of corruption charges."
You can read Jake Tapper's blog on ABCNews.com.
ABC News' Rusty Lutz and Rhonda Schwartz contributed to this story.
August 22, 2006 in William Jefferson | Permalink | User Comments (4)
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I'm disappointed in the quality of this article as opposed to the usual stellar peices in the Blotter. There are two critical points regarding this story that Mr. Tapper - who, I might add, is usually one of the best writers in the Blotter - is missing. First and foremost, Rep. Jefferson is innocent until proven guilty. I personally believe he's guilty as sin, and the media has an obligation to preach from the mountain tops the corruption going on in government. However, he has not yet stood trial and there are some serious questions of whether or not the FBI had the right or jurisdiction to seize the documents relating to the alleged illegal activity. Secondly, he is leading a tour to visit his own district. The House of Representatives hasn't expelled him (yet) and so he should be able to lead a delegation to his home district. If he didn't go, the media would be saying, "look at this corrupt slug, he only goes to New Orleans to rescue his belongings when his constituents are marooned on rooftops!" Again, the guy is what he is, but he is still a Member of Congress and as such is entitled to lead a delegation.
That aside, the Democrats probably should have chosen one of Louisiana's Senators or Representatives from a neighboring district.
Posted by: Andrew E | Aug 22, 2006 9:47:07 PM
Don't talk about congressman Jefferson. He's a democrat, and he's black, 2 things the mainstream media love. You might upset Jesse Jackson. Where was the coverage of Mckinney losing her seat and calling everyone a racist and blaming even Israel for her loss. Think she even called a few reporters "crackers", but then again, she's a democrat, so you had to hide all her comments by not reporting on her...
Posted by: steve | Aug 22, 2006 10:24:38 PM
Blah ba blah ba blah......A big waste of time and tax payer money. The catch phrase is "The congressman has not been charged yet". Nor will he be charged. He's a politician and it's not the politically correct thing to do. The liberal press will spin this case favoring the Democrat and exploit the entrapment angle. He will walk.
Posted by: Stu Cotts | Aug 23, 2006 8:37:45 AM
Well we know Rep. Jefferson will be able to show them a good time. He'll just drop by his house and pick up some "cold hard cash!"
Posted by: Gil | Aug 24, 2006 11:15:55 AM
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