NBC: FBI searches congressman’s office

NBC: FBI searches congressman’s office
La. Democrat Jefferson under investigation in bribery probe

BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and news services
Updated: 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - FBI agents searched the congressional office of Rep. William Jefferson late Saturday as part of an ongoing bribery investigation, NBC News has learned.
Jefferson, D-La., has denied involvement in any illegal activity.

The search, conducted by the Washington Field Office of the FBI, is extremely rare -- if not unprecedented, NBC reported.

Jefferson, a Democrat in his eighth congressional term, declared his innocence Monday during news conference outside the federal building in New Orleans and said he will not resign in the face of the investigation that has resulted in guilty pleas from two people who implicated him in a bribery scheme.

A U.S. government official with knowledge of the investigation told NBC that the FBI secretly videotaped Jefferson.

The federal affidavit supporting the search of Jefferson's office is sealed but could be made public as early as this evening, the FBI said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12891430/ FBI said.

Does not matter one iota that he is a Democrat.

We need to clean the house of people who will take bribes.

No blind party allegiance...if he is guilty, charge, try and convict.

put him right next to Duke Cunningham.

They searched a Democrat, and it is the lead on all cable stations.

Rove might be behind it somehow. think about it. We all had it made - the corruption was Republican. What better way to defuse that than to plant a crime on our side.

Unfortunately, I could find no link between Vernon Jackson and Bush. He never gave any money to any politician before. (FEC records search) - Then he ups and contributes to Jefferson and his relatives in California (quite an oddity for someone who never gave anything to contribute to a California candidate)

Although Jefferson does profess his innocence - so does Ney. Think maybe Rove just lucked out on this one. Or maybe the case was dormant and they pushed it along.

..Democrats are our only realistic hope of getting rid of corporate fascism. It is equally important to fight right wing attempts to use this to portray the massive corruption inherent in the Republican party as equal or less than this, to spin it as something parties do and you have no choice in the matter at the voting booth.. Like they did with Enron which was the hot air balloon that the Republican's rose to power on in 2000. Hot air being the only gas they actually owned and propaganda the only machine it could power. Perhaps a graphic scoreboard with names, amounts and damage done... Let's see Iraq alone would blow the fuse on the Republican side of the scoreboard... Over 40,000,000 Americans without health care, wages often not enough to allow indoor living...

JFK once said "The Republicans are 100% corrupt and the Democrats 85% corrupt" Not sure about those numbers...I would give the Democrats a lower percentage.

Rep. William Jefferson is focus of federal bribery probe

Saturday, May 20, 2006; Posted: 8:52 p.m. EDT (00:52 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/20/jefferson.search/index.html

Does not matter one iota that he is a Democrat.

We need to clean the house of people who will take bribes.

to take the focus off the Republican culture of corruption

Now he gets it again right before midterms?

Bringing him out to distract from the Republicans is all kinds of messed up.

I think he is dirty. There are many stories that haven't made the media.

We would be better off without him. The district should be safe. I think he carried it with about 88%

When a Democrat goes out in scandal.

this.

With midterm elections looming, Democrats are trying to highlight GOP ties to the influence-peddling investigation targeting lobbyist Jack Abramoff and last year's guilty plea of California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now serving an eight-year stretch for taking bribes from defense contractors.

In a news conference last week, Jefferson said he was innocent and that he would remain in office while he fights any charges. (Full story)

"I wish to say emphatically that in all of my actions that are here under scrutiny, that I have never intended to dishonor my office, or you, the public, and I certainly did not sell my office," Jefferson told reporters.

I stand by what I said. We would be very lucky if he steps down.

it's a dark day for democrats in louisiana

jefferson is going to be hounded out of office obviously

it is all for *co and nothing for the little people