"C" is for Corruption

On May 12, 2005, over dinner with business partner and FBI informant Lori Mody, Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) furtively scrawled the letter "c" on a sheet of paper, and next to it wrote some numbers indicating that he was demanding a much larger personal stake in an African business deal than previously agreed to.

"The 'c' is like for 'children,' " the congressman told Mody, as an FBI tape recorder rolled. "I make a deal for my children. It wouldn't be for me."

As court records, sworn affidavits, plea agreements and search warrants attest, it was quite a deal, one of several involving at least seven business entities, nearly a dozen family members and hundreds of thousands of dollars sloshing through bank accounts, all for Jefferson's personal benefit.

An FBI raid on Jefferson's congressional office last month triggered a constitutional showdown between the White House and congressional leaders from both parties over separation of powers. But as that controversy subsides, the focus has shifted back to Jefferson and the corporate labyrinth that federal authorities say he erected to secretly receive illegal payments for promoting high-tech ventures in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.

Sorry, but Rep. Jefferson (D-LA)'s use of the "c" should stand for corruption, not children. The nonsensical defense offered up by members of Congress from both sides of the aisle over the FBI/DOJ search of Jefferson's office notwithstanding, Jefferson's conduct is absolutely inexcusable and thus far indicates criminal acts were committed. And he's yet to offer up any reason to believe that the $90,000 found in his townhome freezer was anything other than bribery money.

Technorati: william jefferson, corruption, bribery, culture of corruption.