Rep. Jefferson a Bad Actor

MONROE ANDERSON / Sun Times 10jun2007

I'd bet my bottom dollar that William Jennings Jefferson's folks taught him what all perceptive parents taught their black baby boomer children about the secret of succeeding in the racially challenged U.S. of A.: ''You've got to be twice as good as the white man.''

Somewhere along the line, the 60-year-old Harvard Law graduate forgot his upbringing.

U.S. Rep. Jefferson was arraigned Friday in federal court on charges of racketeering, money-laundering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In total, the Louisiana Democrat racked up 16 violations of federal law and if convicted, he could face 235 years in federal prison.

A politically potent, well-connected African-American man taking a criminal legal hit that big, unquestionably failed to do something right. Jefferson, who has been fairly mum publicly about the case but has maintained his innocence, is either bad at appearing to be a good public servant or has acted badly as charged.

The congressman's got some powerful proof to overcome. The feds have successfully flipped two co-conspirators and established a solid paper trail for good measure. Last year, Brett Pfeffer, a former congressional aide, admitted soliciting bribes on Jefferson's behalf and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Another Jefferson associate, Vernon Jackson, the former chief executive of the telecom firm iGate Inc., was sentenced to 87 months in prison for paying $400,000 to a company controlled by Jefferson's wife in hopes of landing contracts from the U.S. Army and a number of African nations. Both Pfeffer and Jackson agreed to cooperate in the case against Jefferson.

From all appearances, Jefferson has been caught red-handed -- on video and by wire as well as live and in living color. Federal investigators say they videotaped the congressman on July 30, 2005, receiving a briefcase containing $100,000 from an FBI informant. A few days later, the FBI executed search warrants to examine Jefferson's homes and car, seizing a number of items, including $90,000 in marked bills stuffed in a home freezer.

Cold cash aside, I'm painfully aware that one of the great American pastimes is locking up black men. Our nation boasts the world record, with more than 1 million African-American men in prison and jail. That's more than all the black men in all the prisons and all the jails in all the other countries on the planet combined. Our imprisoned black men, as a rule, are uneducated, poor and powerless. Jefferson is none of that. Ideally, as a duly elected national lawmaker and leader, you'd think he'd be about setting a good example.

Jefferson, whose 2nd District includes New Orleans, won reelection in a runoff last year partly because of Louisiana's legendary quirky politics and partly because Mayor C. Ray Nagin and other prominent black politicians endorsed him. In 1990, he became the first black member of Congress from that state since Reconstruction.

Last week, Jefferson garnered a similar but more dubious distinction: He is the first U.S. official to face charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits U.S. nationals and corporations from corrupting foreign officials.

One of the foreign officials allegedly was Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recently resigned. Just how good do you have to be to corrupt a Nigerian official? Only Russian palms are less difficult to grease.

This is not the first time Jefferson has received bad press. He was criticized in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Five days after the hurricane made landfall, Jefferson commandeered a National Guard detachment to recover personal property from his home. When the truck that was chauffeuring him to his home got stuck, Jefferson called on more Guardsmen, a helicopter and a second truck to help him out as untold numbers of his constituents sat on the rooftops begging to be rescued.

While it's easy to harbor bad suspicions, I imagine the good congressman was simply checking on his laundry.

source: 10jun2007

Resume of William J. Jefferson

U.S. Representative William Jennings Jefferson is now serving is eighth term as a Member of the United States House of Representatives. Representing the 2nd District of Louisiana since 1991, he is the first African-American to be elected to Congress in Louisiana since Reconstruction. Jefferson is an active and senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and its subcommittee on Trade. He is also a member of the House Committee on the Budget. He serves as Co-Chair of the Africa Trade and Investment Caucus as well as the Congressional Caucuses on Brazil and Nigeria. Jefferson is also the current Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy, research and educational institute founded by members of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1976.

A lifelong resident of Louisiana, Congressman Jefferson is a graduate of Southern University A&M College and of Harvard University Law School. In February of 1996, Jefferson received his Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University, making him only the second Member of Congress to do so while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prior to his service in Congress, Congressman Jefferson was elected to three terms in the Louisiana State Senate and served on the State Bond Commission, the Senate Finance Committee, and served as Chairman of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee. As a State Senator, he was twice named, “Legislator of the Year” by the prestigious Alliance for Good Government.

Congressman Jefferson’s public service also included a stint as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps; as law clerk to the late Honorable Alvin B Rubin of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston. Prior to running for elected office, Jefferson founded the law firm, Jefferson, Bryan and Gray (now Bryan and Jupiter), which became the largest predominately African-American firm in the South. He is a member of several civic and religious boards and serves as a Trustee of the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Church.

Congressman Jefferson is well-known and respected by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle as an expert on trade and tax issues. His work throughout his Congressional career has focused on expanding trade opportunities in under-utilized trade markets – such as Africa and Brazil – which provides enormous job creation and economic benefits for the New Orleans and Louisiana trade industry. Jefferson has also worked extensively on tax issues, providing innovative ideas for tax reform that benefits working, middle-class families and is the only member of the Ways and Means Committee to hold a Master of Laws Degree in Taxation.

Congressman Jefferson’s expertise in these areas has proven to be a great asset in creating and passing legislation that he has sponsored and supported throughout his tenure in Congress. In the 107th Congress, Jefferson led the bipartisan effort to develop and pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, which gives the President the ability to negotiate trade agreements in accordance with congressionally mandated negotiating objectives. TPA is key to improving Louisiana’s economy because it will create jobs by opening new markets worldwide for the state’s agricultural products and manufactured goods. Also, in an effort to protect jobs and consumers, Jefferson led the fight against steel tariffs, a key import for Louisiana. In the 108th Congress, Jefferson sponsored the “tonnage tax” provision, a provision in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 that changes the way U.S.-flag vessels are taxed, leveling the competitive field for U.S.-flag vessels and will ultimately provide more job and economic opportunities for Louisiana shore-side workers and mariners.

In the 106th Congress, Jefferson helped to lead the successful effort to pass the first version of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) – the third version passed in 2004, during the 108th Congress – and the New Markets Initiative. AGOA is designed to stimulate bi-lateral investment and trade between the U.S. and the developing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, while the New Markets Initiative steers more than $20 billion of equity capital to under-served communities, streamlines the Federal Housing Administration mortgage process for low income individuals, creates nine new empowerment zones and provides various tax incentives for investments in those empowerment zones.

Congressman Jefferson has been recognized for his work in economic development, trade and technology since he began his Congressional career. In 2004, he received the “Maritime Service Award” by the Washington, D.C. Propeller Club for his work on the tonnage-tax legislation that was included in the American Jobs Act of 2004. He has also been named “Legislator of the Year” by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC) for his support and leadership on key information technology issues; he was awarded the “Spirit of Enterprise” Award for his leadership in helping build a favorable climate for business and the U.S. economy; the Washington International Trade Association awarded him the “2002 Distinguished Service Award” in recognition of his achievements in the field of international trade; and he was a recipient of a New Orleans Magazine’s 2002 Iberville Award for his advocacy of the Port of New Orleans.

Congressman Jefferson and his wife, Dr. Andrea Green-Jefferson, are the proud parents of five daughters: Jamila, a graduate of Harvard College and Law School, is a practicing attorney; Jalila, also a graduate of Harvard College and Law School is a practicing attorney and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives; Jelani, the third graduate of Harvard College and Law School, is a law clerk with U.S. District Judge Fallon in New Orleans; Nailah is a graduate of Boston University and a graduate student at Emerson College in Boston; and Akilah is a student at Brown University.

source: 10jun2007