The William Jefferson (D-LA) Fiasco Continues

The next time you hear the dems rail about the "culture of corruption" or Jack Abramoff, just say "William Jefferson" (you can forget the Clinton part as that is so 1998).

Jefferson is the Congressman who was busted with $90,000 in his freezer. The money allegedly came from a business partner who turned to the FBI and was meant for the Nigerian Vice President:

On that Monday, a chauffeur drove Jefferson and his Northern Virginia business partner, Lori Mody, in a Lincoln Town Car down the winding pavement on Sorrel Avenue in Potomac to Abubakar's 2.3-acre property, partially shrouded by trees and protected by a six-foot-high black wrought-iron fence with gold tips.

Unbeknownst to Jefferson, Mody was wearing an FBI wire, and the chauffeur was an undercover FBI agent.

Jefferson met privately with Abubakar, without Mody, to discuss iGate Inc.'s involvement with a Nigerian partner in a high-tech venture to market Internet and cable television in Nigeria, according to the FBI affidavit.

Mody had invested $3.5 million, and Jefferson had a secret share of her business and of iGate.
Following the meeting on Sorrel Avenue, Jefferson told Mody that the vice president had demanded a cut of the profits. He said they also needed to give him a $500,000 payment "as a motivating factor," the affidavit said.

On July 30, Mody gave Jefferson a $100,000 bribe to pass on to Abubakar, and shortly after, Jefferson assured her that it had been delivered.

On Aug. 3, FBI agents found $90,000 of the marked FBI bills in Jefferson's freezer at his Capitol Hill apartment. None of cash had gone to Abubakar, according to the FBI affidavit.

So it not only appears the good representative is corrupt but he's also a scammer and liar. This is not run of the mill corruption here, this is an elected official who is playing all sides for the most financial gain possible. He appears to have conned the VP (and potential future president) of Nigeria or at the very least used his name to swindle someone. That's not very good diplomacy Rep. Jefferson. Nigeria is quickly becoming a Muslim nation and we don't want to inflame the "Muslim street" by conducting shady deals that involve their VP.

TPM has thoughts as does BCB.