On the tar and feather list: Sticky-fingers Jefferson

Who argued in a Times-Picayune letter to the editor that he "will not voluntarily permit my constituents to be sacrificed on the altar of an uncertain political strategy in a time of such dire need."

Hey a--hole! What about the uncertainty of a federal investigation which includes some pretty graphic video of you taking a suitcase filled with a hundred G's which you stuffed in your freezer (after $10,000 disappeared)? What might that do for the citizens of Louisiana at a time when we're fighting an image of corrupt politicians every time we have to hold hat in hand begging for money from the rest of the country?

Not only are you crooked, and a slumlord, but you're an idiot. As S.M. suggested, at least you could have put the cash in a Swiss bank account like smart crooks do so it wouldn't be traceable, and so it would collect interest. Hey numbskull, you're losing money after adjusting for inflation by leaving your greasy money in cold storage.

Jefferson's complaint that he's being singled out for unfair treatment because other elected officials aren't being asked to give up committee seats just reeks to hell of the attitude that once elected to Washington office, representatives are above the law, free to sell their votes to the highest bidder:

Were I to resign my committee seat based on nothing more than news reports of alleged wrongdoing, that action would be utterly unprecedented and wholly unjustifiable. Therefore, I have declined Ms. Pelosi's demand.

Compelling me to leave my committee post would also be discriminatory. At least one other Democrat and several Republican members are under federal investigation and have not been asked by Ms. Pelosi to resign their committee positions.

I'd say we need a few rule changes in Washington, and a few new faces.

James Gill gets the last word:

We have Jefferson's word for it that his actions were all honorable. That can only mean that he was posing as a crook. But why? Surely it is obvious. He was conducting his own investigation. ...

Of course, if a congressman is going to conduct his own undercover investigation, he must play the role of scumbag in a most convincing fashion. Give it to Jefferson; his performance was masterful. The tapes show he shook 'em down and put hundreds of thousands in a company run by his wife and daughters. He demanded oodles of company stock in return for favors, and even insisted one of his daughters be hired to handle legal work. A better impression of a corrupt official could hardly be imagined.

He certainly fooled his former congressional aide, Brent Pfeffer, and businessman Vernon Jackson, who needed Jefferson's good offices in Africa. Pfeffer and Jackson have both pleaded guilty to arranging bribes. Boy, will they be shocked when they find out they are going to prison for aiding and abetting an honorable public servant.