21 May, 2006

Jefferson Takes Franklins

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for Representative William Jefferson.
Federal agents searched the Capitol Hill office of a Louisiana congressman under investigation on bribery charges Sunday, while newly released court papers said agents found $90,000 in cash last year in his Washington home.

In a 95-page affidavit used to obtain a warrant for the office search, investigators stated that an August 2005 search of Democratic Rep. William Jefferson's home turned up the cash sum in a freezer.

The money was divided among various frozen food containers, according to the heavily redacted affidavit.

Agents told a judge the money was part of a $100,000 payment that had been delivered by an informant in the bribery probe, which already has led to guilty pleas by a Kentucky businessman and a former Jefferson aide.

Even worse, ABC says that he was caught taking the bribe on camera.

Seriously. Can we have consensus here?

Every single Democratic/Liberal/Progressive blogger should be calling for Jefferson's immediate resignation. If even Duncan Black can say it (Albeit he was not quite so forthright in saying it, but he at least said something along those lines. So a rare credit point from me to Atrios.), then it should be practically unanimous from our side of the aisle. Well, except for the flag-wavers over on that Kos site... They haven't said a single peep about Jefferson's little corruption problems, from what I could search out. But that's okay, seeing as how RedState barely mentioned Randy Cunningham's minor difficulties. Let the partisans bury their heads in the sand. (So far, no word about this story from Ezra's little page. But Ezra himself usually doesn't post anything on the weekend itself, so I still have hope that one of the most intelligent liberals in the blogosphere will raise the red flag.)

Of course, I said it over two weeks ago, plus Josh and the Cool Kids over at Talking Points Memo hinted at it a few days before I did. Let's see who else joins in, shall we?

Mr. Jeferson? The Grim Reaper of Politics is about to knock. (No, not Dick Cheney.) Will you dare open the door?

[Turn signal: that Insta guy.]

[UPDATE: 11:35p] A good run-down by TPM Muckraker's Paul Kiel can be found here. Face it. The man is just as dirty as Cunningham, and deserves to suffer the same embarrassing fate.

[UPDATE: 8:56p 22.05.06] Kevin Drum joins the sensible ones. A few more, and maybe the bastage will get the hint, no?

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