William Jefferson

Representative William Jefferson Watch: The Sap Keeps On Running

william jefferson

Rep. William Jefferson (D-La) leaves U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after arraignment proceedings against him in Alexandria, Virginia June 8, 2007

Despite his indictment and the cash found in his freezer Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson is running for re-election.

Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election to a 10th term even as he faces a Dec. 2 political corruption trial that he called an “overly zealous” prosecution based on “false factual allegations.”

A 16-count federal indictment filed in June 2007 “has not prevented my delivering for our district and our state,” Jefferson said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

“My family and I have sworn a great oath to trust God and to fight on to vindicate ourselves and our good name,” Jefferson said. “This we will do. And, in none of it, will I or they sacrifice our continued strong commitment and effective delivery of the things our people need to recover from the storm and from a bad economy.”

After details of the federal investigation of Jefferson became public after a raid of his congressional office in May 2006, House Democrats stripped him of his position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

He remains without a committee assignment in the 110th Congress, despite his surprisingly easy victory in a December 2006 runoff against state Rep. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans.

Some political analysts think Jefferson will have a harder time winning re-election this year, given that since his indictment the congressman’s brother and political adviser, Mose Jefferson, and sister Betsy Jefferson, the Orleans Parish 4th District assessor, were indicted on charges they conspired to loot more than $600,000 in taxpayer money from three charities they established to help inner-city youths.

In another family scandal Representative William Jefferson’s younger sister, Brenda, today pled guilty in a charity scam.

Wow! What a family! They even steal from themselves.

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Graphic courtesy of Flip


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