William Jefferson Needs To Resign

I refuse to defend corrupt Democrats, and the evidence mounting against Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana is starting to be overwhelming:

A Kentucky businessman pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to giving Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) more than $400,000 in bribes to promote his high-tech business ventures in Africa.

Vernon L. Jackson, owner of Louisville-based iGate Inc., declined to comment after his appearance in the Washington courtroom of U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. He pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.

Jackson is the second person to plead guilty in theinquiry of the New Orleans congressman. In January, Brett M. Pfeffer, 37, a former Jefferson aide, pleaded guilty to bribing his ex-boss. Pfeffer worked for a wealthy Northern Virginia woman who invested in Jackson's company, iGate, which was trying to sell Internet and cable television service to Nigeria and Ghana. Pfeffer told a federal judge that Jefferson demanded a stake in the business in exchange for using his influence in Africa to promote iGate's technology.

There's just too much smoke here. Jefferson should not seek re-election. It is true that if you got rid of every corrupt Congressman there wouldn't be that many Congressmen left in DC. It's also exactly the right thing to do.

As a reform Democrat I cannot allow my party to go along to get along when there's an effort to clean up Washington. I defend Alan Mollohan, who stepped down as the head of the House ethics committee, because he was accused by a GOP front group called the National Legal and Policy Center without presenting any evidence to him, or allowing him to receive the report. There may be some indiscretions in Mollohan's file, and the investigation ought to proceed. But in Jefferson's case, we're talking about two guilty pleas. Something's going on there.

This really doesn't detract from the systematic culture of corruption on the Republican side of the aisle, an insidious attempt to own K Street, shut elected Democrats out of the legislative process, and reward wealthy contributors with favors, all the while getting rich themselves. But the media will be sure to spin it with an "everybody does it" storyline. I hope the Democrats get out in front of that and jettison their corrupt elements, proving a commitment to honest and open government.