In July of 2005, Rep. William Jefferson (D-Louisiana) was caught on tape by the FBI taking a $100,000 bribe. About $90,000 of that money was later found in his home freezer, and the FBI claimed Jefferson had been involved in 11 separate bribery schemes since August of 2000. He wasn't just a crook -- he was a big-time crook on a continuing basis.I think he really thought he was above the law. He even took the FBI investigation to the Supreme Court, claiming they didn't have the authority to search his office. He lost that case, and his life has been on a downhill slide ever since.
Last November, he lost his seat in Congress to a Republican (Joseph Cao), even though the district is largely a liberal Democratic one. Then three months ago, a jury convicted him of 11 out of 16 counts of bribery. Yesterday, he was sentenced to a significant prison term.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III (of Alexandria, Virginia) sentenced Jefferson (pictured) to a term of 13 years in a federal prison.
Personally, I think he deserved every year of that sentence and I hope he has to serve every day of it. I don't care which political party Jefferson is in, bribery is one of the most serious offenses a congressman can commit.
I hope every congressman of either party that is taking bribes, is caught and convicted and sentenced to at least 13 years.
Many issues can be argued from a left-right perspective. Others, like this and the 68-year-old British pedophile, are matters not of left-right, but wrong-right.
ReplyDeleteWhen it's a left-right divide, we usually disagree. When it's about wrong or right, we're usually on the same side. This is one I gladly agree with you on, Ted.
Thanks CT-
ReplyDeleteYou're right. This has nothing to do with the political spectrum -- just ethics and honesty.