Louisiana:Reeling-"In the Undertow" as the Infamy Reigns

House moves to Oust Jefferson, the first black Louisiana Congressman since Reconstruction. Committee Votes Overwhelming on two seperate actions! A precedent may be set if the Congressman's removal is voted for by the full House before guilt is adjudicated.
Barack Obama in Hampton, Virginia warns of "Quiet Riots"
Emancipation Oak
As Congressman William Jefferson is indicted in Alexandria, Virginia; fate would have it that Senator Barack Obama would be speaking at Hampton University in Virgina in the shadows of the Emancipation Oak. That, he [Obama] would reference New Orleans and the Bush Administration failures is no coincidence, however. Partisanship is on the attack! In May, as Alberto Gonzales was being grilled by House & Senate Committees Republican Senator John Sensenbrenner unleashed a partisan ployed demand for the Attorney General to expedite the Jefferson indictment.hlr

updated 10 June 2007 hlr
Jefferson says he’s innocent of charges 'Did I sell my office or trade official acts for money? Absolutely not.'
Congressman fighting allegations of bribery

By GERARD SHIELDS
Advocate Washington bureau
Published: Jun 9, 2007 - Page: 1a

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Speaking to reporters Friday for the first time since his indictment on public corruption charges, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson maintained his innocence after pleading not guilty to 16 counts, including bribery, racketeering and money laundering.

“We are going to fight our hearts out to clear my name,” Jefferson said in a news conference outside the federal courthouse here.

Prosecutors accuse Jefferson of using his influence as co-chairman of the congressional Africa Investment and Trade Caucus to broker deals in various African nations, and of demanding kickbacks for himself and for family members.

The indictment, issued Monday, says Jefferson received more than $500,000 in bribes and sought millions of dollars more between 2000 and 2005.

After his formal arraignment before U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, the New Orleans Democrat made a statement before a horde of media and a bank of cameras. Standing under a statue of Lady Justice, Jefferson accused the federal government of persecuting him and his family.

The Harvard-educated attorney also hinted at his likely defense: that he was acting as a private businessman in representing American companies referred to in his 94-page indictment that were trying to do business in Africa.

In return, the companies allegedly paid money to companies led by Jefferson family members. Jefferson was also accused of demanding shares of stock from the companies. Prosecutors accused Jefferson of failing to disclose any income he received from the business deals, as required by House rules.

The tall and lanky Jefferson appeared at court and at the news conference in his trademark gray suit with a light blue shirt and red tie.

“I know what congressmen can do to help someone: passing legislation that would help a certain industry, securing earmarks and amending tax and trade bills,” Jefferson said at the news conference. “I did none of that.”

Jefferson was freed on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond. He will not have to pay any money but would forfeit the bond should he violate pre-trial requirements that include surrendering his passport to his defense attorney.

Ellis set a trial date of Jan. 16, 2008, after Jefferson’s attorney, Robert Trout, said he will need that much time to prepare for the case, in which Jefferson is accused of collaborating in 11 complex business schemes involving African telecommunications, oil drilling and waste recycling deals.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle said the prosecution will need about four weeks to present its evidence, which includes eight file cabinets of documents and extensive tape recordings.

The judge said he is not likely to grant the government that much time to present its case.

Ellis gave Jefferson permission to travel between Washington and his district, but any international or other national travel must be approved in advance by the judge.

Ellis also ordered Jefferson and his attorney to work out arrangements so Jefferson will not have access to shotguns and rifles in his home. Jefferson told the judge the firearms are used for hunting.

“I’ve been hunting since I was 10-years-old,” Jefferson told Ellis.

Jefferson appeared outside the courtroom holding hands with his wife of 37 years, Andrea, and flanked by his youngest daughter, Akila.

“Did I make mistakes in judgment along the way that I deeply regret? Yes,” Jefferson said. “But did I sell my office or trade official acts for money? Absolutely not.”

Jefferson would not answer a question shouted by a reporter on what he considered mistakes.

Jefferson called the federal charges “contrived” and “misleading.” He painted himself as the victim of a government sting.

According to court records, FBI agents videotaped Jefferson picking up a $100,000 cash bribe in 2005 from an informant in a hotel parking garage. Two days later, FBI agents raided Jefferson’s Washington home and found $90,000 in marked bills in a box in his freezer. Jefferson allegedly was to give the cash to a high-ranking Nigerian official.

Having the money was not illegal, Jefferson said Friday, since he never delivered the alleged bribe.

“The $90,000 was the FBI’s money,” Jefferson said. “The FBI gave it to me as part of their plan that I would give it to the Nigerian vice president, but I did not do that.”

Jefferson family members have been implicated in the dealings. His wife headed a consulting company that allegedly received money from companies Jefferson tried to help, prosecutors said. His wife has not been charged with a crime in this case.

Jefferson spelled out the extensive education background of his wife and five daughters.

“Incredibly, we are the same family that the Department of Justice and the FBI would have you believe is a family made up of bribers, racketeers and conspirators,” Jefferson said. “This is not who we are; this is not who I am.”

Earlier in the week, the House voted to send the Jefferson matter to the House Ethics Committee for a formal review. If Jefferson is found guilty of ethics violations, he could be expelled from the chamber.

Ellis also froze $470,000 of Jefferson’s assets on Thursday.

Jefferson acknowledged he faces an uphill challenge against the federal government, which has unlimited resources to prosecute him.

“But I have no doubt that in the most important sense, we have the advantage,” Jefferson said. “The advantage of having right and truth on our side.”
JFAL

'I am absolutely innocent'
Jefferson pleads not guilty to 16 charges
Gannett News Service

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — U.S. Rep. William J. Jefferson declared his innocence Friday, pledging he and his family would "sell every stick of furniture in our home" and anything else they own to prove he did not take payoffs to broker business deals in Africa.
"I am absolutely innocent of the charges leveled against me," the Louisiana Democrat said, standing next to his wife and attorneys outside the federal courthouse. "We are going to fight my heart out to clear my name."
Inside a courtroom minutes earlier, Jefferson's lawyer entered a not guilty plea to 16 counts of racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Federal prosecutor Mark Lytle said the government had collected eight file cabinets worth of evidence, as well as extensive tape recordings, in more than two years of investigative work. He estimated the government would need about four weeks to present its case.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III scoffed at the notion, saying that much time would put an unnecessary burden on jurors.

"It's ludicrous. No trial should last that long," he said.

Ellis set a jury trial date for Jan. 16. He then ordered Jefferson, who has a law degree from Harvard and a master's degree in law from Georgetown, to surrender his passport and post a $100,000 bond.

Jefferson was granted unrestricted travel privileges between the Washington area and Louisiana, but he must advise the court when traveling elsewhere. Ellis said he expects most of Jefferson's travel requests will be granted.

Jefferson must also surrender the shotguns and rifles he uses for hunting and keeps in his Louisiana home.

Jefferson is charged with paying bribes to a Nigerian official as well as soliciting bribes for himself and his family. He was indicted Monday by a federal grand jury in a case that included the discovery of $90,000 in the freezer of the congressman's Washington home during FBI raids on his New Orleans and Washington homes Aug. 2, 2005.

Jefferson referred to that cash Friday outside the courthouse.

"The $90,000 was the FBI's money. The FBI gave it to me as part of its plan — part of their plan — that I would give it to the Nigerian vice president, but I did not do that," he said. "When all the facts are understood, I expect to be fully vindicated."

Jefferson said his constituents in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District know he has served them for 17 years "honestly and professionally." That was why he easily won re-election last fall despite a "virtual indictment" in the press, he said.

"I will not be deterred from my duty to serve my constituents back home, in Orleans parish and Jefferson parish, who have faithfully elected me," he said.

But Jefferson, who did not take any questions, also said he made unspecified mistakes in judgments he now deeply regrets.

"Did I sell my office or trade official acts for money? Absolutely not. This case involved purely private business activities and not official acts by me," he said.

Jefferson spoke in detail about his wife and their five daughters, noting their education from Ivy League and other top tier schools. He spoke about the family's pursuit to public service, as well as its patriotism.

"I implore you, the press and the public, to keep an open mind until all the facts are on the table," he said.

If convicted on all counts, Jefferson faces a maximum sentence of 235 years in prison.

Jefferson is the first U.S. official to be charged with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

On Thursday, the House ethics committee voted to expand its investigation of Jefferson and a federal judge froze his assets.
JFAL

The Shackles in the Shadows of History: Slavery Entangled in US Roots! Washington Post Essay published May 29 2007, contains oral history quotes from Louisiana Slave Mary Reynolds.