Congressman “Cool Cash” Jefferson Scores Big at the Polls, Faces Runoff Election
EmailDespite being at the center of a FBI bribery investigation, Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) won the most votes in the race for his seat in Congress and will now face a runoff election on Dec. 9. Jefferson won 30 percent of the vote with a total of 27,706 votes, according to the unofficial results posted by the Louisiana Secretary of State. Jefferson vowed to run for re-election despite the FBI investigation. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Congressman Jefferson Probe Leads to Crisis in Nigerian Government All in the Family: Fathers, Daughters and Political Investigations Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page In August of last year, $90,000 of marked FBI cash was found in Jefferson’s freezer, money that the FBI says was the first installment of a $500,000 bribe to the vice president of Nigeria to help further a business deal. Jefferson has not been charged with a crime and has maintained that he is innocent. "I never intended to dishonor my office…and I certainly did not sell my office," Jefferson said in a campaign appearance. Facing Jefferson in the runoff will be State Rep. Karen Carter (D-La.) who won 22 percent of the vote with a total of 19,972 votes.
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The Blind being led by the Blind.
Jesus said they’ll BOTH fall into a ditch. 2nd: Has anyone checked the stuffing in the ballot boxes? Anyone? Huh? Anyone at all?
Posted by: Gare | November 8, 2006, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
Gare,
Yeah, someone has checked. His name is Robert Kennedy Jr who had a widely spread article published in Rolling Stone earlier this year about the flagrant “stuffing of the ballot boxes” that happened in 2004.
Get with the times kid.
Posted by: arias | November 8, 2006, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
Dems love criminals. They grow them, they coddle them, they worship them. They just hate Republicans.
Posted by: Kathy | November 8, 2006, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Throw the rascals in.
Posted by: Bob | November 8, 2006, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm
Stuffing in the ballot box….is that like the stuff in a turkey?
Posted by: David | November 8, 2006, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm
I can’t understand why the citizens of Louisiana don’t throw this rascal out. He is so obviously a crook. You would think they would support politicians who will advocate for them rather than steal from them. To me, this is just bizarre! (And (I’m a Democrat)
Posted by: R Young | November 8, 2006, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
Maybe Pelosi’s first act of running a more honest Congress will be to demand his resignation.
Oops, I forgot. Republicans resign in disgrace, Democrats just keep right on going.
Posted by: Steve | November 8, 2006, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
Jefferson was not voted on by the citizens of Louisiana, but only by the people of his district, whether they live there or not. One should look at the recent levee reform bill and the just passed amendment REDUCING the number of paid assessors in the City of New Orleans, one of whom is Jefferson’s sister-in-law!
Posted by: Bitsie | November 8, 2006, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
Only in America. Republican offenders resign or are kicked out for their indiscretions. Democrats refuse to leave and/or get re-elected :
Scruggs, Menendez, Toricelli, Jefferson, Corzine, Reid
Posted by: H | November 8, 2006, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
If Republicans are so honorable, why did Delay run in the primary? Why were Weldon and Sherwood “the Strangler” even on the ballot? How come New didn’t quit until last week? And how come Foley got elected time and time again? Burns still hasn’t conceded, and he should be in jail…
Posted by: KGW | November 8, 2006, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
In the finest tradition of leftist, whatever they do is OK because it’s for the greater good. Anyway, a pox on both their houses!
Posted by: Jeff | November 8, 2006, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
Take it easy, folks. In LA, it’s hard enough to find someone who is “outside”, let’s not complain about small things like $90K of marked cash in the freezer. Most living ex-governors of LA live on taxpayer dollars as they always did – but now – “inside”. Cool Cash Jefferson For Governor!
Posted by: LaBubba | November 8, 2006, 5:27 pm 5:27 pm
Amazing the lack of press coverage that Jefferson has gotten. Had he be a Republican, this would be on the news nightly. I commend ABC News for even bringing it up. CNN and the other news are ignoring him.
Posted by: Jim Bellah | November 8, 2006, 6:26 pm 6:26 pm
For the integrity of the Democrats, Rep. Jefferson needs to be kept from any committe appointments until he is either charged of cleared. I know a person is innocent until proven guilty, but I want my party to be better than the Repubs and a person with qustionable morality does not need to be given responsibility. Let him vote as the representative of the people who elected him, but that should be all. The slippery slope of hurbis is easy to go down.
Posted by: Darren7160 | November 8, 2006, 7:19 pm 7:19 pm
To Jim Bellah
Two words for you.
Fox News
You have got a hide for talking about unfair reporting. Has Fox News ever said anything about anything that wasn’t exaggerated or a flat out lie.
Tad Dufelmeier
Posted by: Tad Dufelmeier | November 8, 2006, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm
What I find odd about the story of the cash being kept in a rerigerator is that Jefferson like him or not is a smart man.Smart enough to have placed the money into a account in the Cayman Islands under an alias.So what did happen?Only an investigation will prove innocence or guilt and in America one is presumed innocent until found guilty.I am not defending him,just questioning the logic of the freezer and why we assume guilt before all the facts are known?
Posted by: Dennis | November 9, 2006, 12:01 am 12:01 am
William Jefferson has not been reelected to Congress. Due to Louisiana’s unique open primary he is in a run-off with Karen Carter as explained above. The article fails to explain (as most similar reports have done) the LA Open Primary System. All candidates for a position run against each other regardless of party affiliation. If no candidate receives 50%+ of the vote (this RARELY happens) the two top vote recipients are in a run off. Every article I’ve read on the subject talks about the fact that Jefferson won 30% percent of the vote while not pointing out that 70% of his district voted against him. 64,000+ people do not want him in office! A candidate who only wins 30% of the open primary rarely wins the final election. Everyone else who voted, voted against him.
All that being said, William Jefferson is not a Democrat problem; he is a Louisiana problem. Until you’ve lived in a state where you are forced to choose between a many-times indicted Democrat and a member of the KKK for governor (google “vote for the crook”) you can’t begin to understand.
Posted by: CNSCR | November 9, 2006, 2:06 am 2:06 am
Tad Dufelmeier:
Fox News is only one news agency. How about ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN? How much have YOU seen about Jefferson on them? What Democrats have called for him to resign?
No doubt Fox commentators like O’Reilly and Hannity are biased, but the news reporting is little different from any other news agencies. Look at their websites and see for yourself. They all report the national issues the same. It’s the paranoia of the left that makes them think that someone not left leaning is biased.
The Clinton/Lewinsky thing would have stayed out of the news had it not been for Drudge bringing it out. Newsweek squashed it and yes, it was a big deal. The president of any major organization who was caught having sex (oral or otherwise) with an intern would have been forced to resign.
Posted by: Jim Bellah | November 9, 2006, 2:07 am 2:07 am
Wow sounds like the usual butterness and hypocrosy of the Republicans. Funny how Republicans say they are for reducing government and create the largest goverment in history, funny how they say they are fiscal conservatives, yet have run up the largest debt in history, funny how they claim they are “Pro-Life” yet rejoice in killing foreigners. They impeach a President for having an affair and yet were unable to find a Speaker of the House from their own party who was not having an affair.
What I have learned over the years is that every word Republicans say is a lie and illed with hypocrosy. Whatever happened to “Cast not the first stone,” or my favorite…
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Obviously it is time for the Republican party to turn its attention upon itself and try to actually stand up and do what they say they stand for.
Posted by: Orville Clark | November 9, 2006, 2:41 am 2:41 am
“The Clinton/Lewinsky thing would have stayed out of the news had it not been for Drudge bringing it out. Newsweek squashed it and yes, it was a big deal. The president of any major organization who was caught having sex (oral or otherwise) with an intern would have been forced to resign.”
So why was it that so many Republicans who were forced to admit their own affairs were not forced to resign? Oh yeah hypocrasy… it’s ok for Republicans to be drug addicts and sexual predators but not for anyone else.
Posted by: orville Clark | November 9, 2006, 2:45 am 2:45 am
Jefferson is a crook, Blacks in his district all “Blame Whitey” for their own failures. Now that Pelosi is in charge let’s see her drain the swamp in the congress. (her own words). Dem’s have been sniping at the Repub’s for so long about how things should be done. Let’s see what they are going to do now they are driving the bus. And when you are driving who are you going to blame now.
Posted by: mike jones | November 9, 2006, 8:39 am 8:39 am
Nanci Pelosi’s fault. (kind of has a nice ring to it, does it now)?
Posted by: mike jones | November 9, 2006, 8:41 am 8:41 am
Who is voting in Louisiana? He should not have an opportunity to participate in a run-off. He should have been arrested and placed in a jail cell like any other criminal caught red handed with marked bills in his freezer. I believe I read that about 30,000 people voted for Jefferson. God please open the eyes of the politically blind. When will African Americans stop voting for politicians just because they are black and a democrat? I find it outrageous that a black politician would help to steal money from an African nation.
I don’t care if he is republican or democrat, he is a criminal. Any elected official who commits a crime should be removed from office and prosecuted.
The Nigerian media has even more insight on this issue than the Americans. I am saddened by this mans actions.
Posted by: KL | November 9, 2006, 9:46 am 9:46 am
Jefferson went from 79% of the vote in 2004 to 30% in 2006.
Yet the headline is: “Congressman “Cool Cash” Jefferson Scores Big at the Polls”
This man has not scored below 73% of the vote since 1990!! The Democrats of the district clearly punished him. He’ll likely lose the runoff because 70% of the voters didn’t support him.
Posted by: ?able leade | November 9, 2006, 10:28 am 10:28 am
Under our system of law, an individual suspected of a criminal offense is regarded as innocent unless and until he/she acknowledges guilt or is proven guilty in a court of law guilt, not the court of pubic prejudice and presumption. Despite the finding and confiscation of the crime-implicating $90,000.00 from Rep. Jefferson’s freezer by the DOJ quite some time ago, still the DOJ has not filed any criminal charge/s against Rep. Jefferson, while he asserts his innocence and that can explain the money issue in court after he is criminally charged — it is legally prudent that he not disclose his defense until his prosecution is ongoing in court. His district election supporters are thus fairly and ethically continuing to vote for him.
Posted by: truth | November 9, 2006, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm
Kathy
No one hates Republicans. this is the result of ten years of nastiness started by our party, Specifically Newt Gingrich. His comment at the time was, “Demonize them (Democrats) if you want to get elected”. Winning at any cost is not acceptable and your mother and mine taught us both better.
The remants of the right wing neocons hijacked our party, which was based on principles. Barry Goldwater was probably spinning in his grave. Now they are going back. If i know him, hes spinning faster.
Posted by: Republican Voted Democrat | November 9, 2006, 2:57 pm 2:57 pm
Amazing…..simply amazing…but to be expected by the same folks that voted Chocolate City Nagin back into office after he abandoned his constituents during Katrina….
How about this for Ms. Pelosi’s “drain the swamp” campaign….here in Missouri, on Tuesday, we passed an amendment that strips any public official of his/her taxpayer funded retirement if he/she is convicted of any felony while in office or is dismissed from office because of ethics violations….
Let’s see how far that goes at the national level……….
Posted by: LevelHeaded | November 9, 2006, 11:16 pm 11:16 pm
This man should be behind bars. There are numerous government officals that will be investigated shortly. This scandal and the upcoming date of blanket amnisty is what is destroying us. Our founding fathers all died pennyless and broke, they would never tolerate this and niether should we.
Posted by: Jeff | November 10, 2006, 2:50 am 2:50 am
Mr. Jefferson is only living up to the well known, albeit informal, state motto of Louisiana, which is, “Everything in Louisiana is either under water or under indictment.” To do otherwise is treason!
Give the man a break!
Posted by: Dick | November 10, 2006, 9:52 am 9:52 am
Kathy,
I though the Dems started the nastiness back during the regan administration. Back when the Dems were telling old poeple that the Republicans will take your social security away and force you to eat dog food.
Dem nastiness was around way before Newt Gingrich came to office.
Posted by: ChrisN | November 10, 2006, 11:15 am 11:15 am
Sorry Kathy,
my previous post should have been adressed to ” Republican Voted Democrat”.
Posted by: ChrisN | November 10, 2006, 11:17 am 11:17 am
Oh give me a break, innocent until proven guilty!!! Unless it’s Rove, or Libby, for years we got to hear about how the two of them should be executed for treason by the left for outing a super douper double secret spy (bull) but hey if all you have is 90g’s in “cold” cash as proof, let’s not be hasty… get a life lefties
Posted by: American | November 14, 2006, 9:19 pm 9:19 pm
Will the republicans stop getting their panties in a twist? He got 30% of the vote, for crying out loud. He’s going to lose the runoff.
If he wins, then you can come and bitch about the Democrats all you like.
Fox News? Fair and balanced?
Remember Mark Foley (D-Florida)? Happened a couple times, too.
Posted by: Ted | November 15, 2006, 10:40 am 10:40 am
To Nancy Pelosi:
When you ‘drain that swamp’ in the House of Rep. will that include “Cold Cash” Willie Jefferson? And how about ABSCAM Jack Murtha? Jack Abramoff has also given up several democrat senators. It’s gonna be fun watching this mess.
Posted by: B.C. | November 15, 2006, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
william jefferson is a crook who should not be allowed to hold office. we have enough thieves and lazy bums who are only for their party. and while im on the subject, why do democrats hate republicans and vice versa. i thought they made decisions based on what they think is best (for the people they represent), not what their party wants!!!!!!
Posted by: bill multhaupt | January 2, 2007, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm