Mr. Freeze WINS!
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By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
(CNSNews.com) - Even a liberal group is calling it “sad” that voters in Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District have re-elected Rep. William Jefferson to a ninth term.The Democrat — who’s being investigated for bribery — defeated Democratic State Rep. Karen Carter, 57-43 percent, in Saturday’s runoff election.
Carter was quoted as saying that she guesses the people of Louisiana “are happy with the status quo.”
The FBI reportedly found $90,000 in marked bills in Jefferson’s freezer during a raid on his home. Although the congressman has not yet been charged, two of his associates have entered guilty pleas.
Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said she believes it is only a matter of months before Jefferson himself is indicted for bribery.
“Rep. Jefferson is likely to spend much more of the coming term worrying about his own legal problems rather than the serious issues facing the people of Louisiana,” Sloan said in a news release on Sunday.
“So far, the House ethics committee has failed to take any action against Rep. Jefferson despite the fact that he has been caught on videotape soliciting a bribe and was found with $90,000 in his home freezer.”
Sloan called it “further proof” that the new Congress needs to concentrate on ethics reform, including the creation of an independent Office of Public Integrity.
Earlier this year, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders removed Jefferson from the House Ways and Means Committee pending completion of the federal bribery investigation. Pelosi had no comment on Jefferson’s re-election, which is sure to be an irritant for the woman who has railed for years against “Republican corruption.”
Last year, CREW - a liberal-leaning government watchdog group — named Jefferson as one of the 13 most corrupt Members of Congress. (Eleven were Republicans; the two Democrats singled out by CREW included Jefferson and Rep. Maxine Waters of California.)
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