Most innocent people don't keep $90,000 in the freezer

[Thomas Veil]

Talk about cold, hard cash:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal agents searched the Capitol Hill office of a Louisiana congressman under investigation on bribery charges Sunday, while newly released court papers said agents found $90,000 in cash last year in his Washington home.

In a 95-page affidavit used to obtain a warrant for the office search, investigators stated that an August 2005 search of Democratic Rep. William Jefferson's home turned up the cash sum in a freezer.

The money was divided among various frozen food containers, according to the heavily redacted affidavit.

Agents told a judge the money was part of a $100,000 payment that had been delivered by an informant in the bribery probe, which already has led to guilty pleas by a Kentucky businessman and a former Jefferson aide.

The Justice Department has been investigating Jefferson's relationship to telecommunications deals in Africa and elsewhere, and the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation of him last week.

The eight-term congressman, whose district includes New Orleans and some of its suburbs, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to remain in office to battle any criminal charges he may face.

But the affidavit states that investigators have collected evidence linking Jefferson to at least seven other cases in which he "sought things of value in return for his performance of official acts."

Robert Trout, the congressman's lawyer, decried the release of the affidavit. In a statement issued Sunday night, he said it served "no legitimate investigative purpose."

"This disclosure by the prosecutors is part of a public relations agenda and an obvious attempt to embarrass Congressman Jefferson," Trout said. "The affidavit itself is just one side of the story, which has not been tested in court."Umm, maybe. But I'd just love to hear another plausible explanation for why that money was in Tupperware in the freezer. :rolleyes:

CNN link (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/21/jefferson.search/index.html)

[zimv20]

i suppose this is the different between corrupt dems and corrupt repubs -- the corrupt dems save their ill-gotten gains.

[solvs]

Yeah, I mean, I only keep like $5,000 in my fridge. Just kidding. I don't have my new fridge yet. Stupid Sears.

[Thomas Veil]

Maybe if you offered them a bribe...

[Dont Hurt Me]

Got to love this Congress of Prostitutes, working hard for everyone....but the American people. Both parties are corrupt as hell. Vote out all incumbants is the answer.

[blackfox]

Got to love this Congress of Prostitutes.
I can take this phrase two ways:

1. Quite a few people do love congress involving prostitutes.

2. If we did have a Congress of prostitutes, you would think the opinion polls would be higher.

As to the topic, I wonder if the Feds froze his bank accounts while continuing their investigation?

[UKnjb]

Umm, maybe. But I'd just love to hear another plausible explanation for why that money was in Tupperware in the freezer. :rolleyes:

Easy! His accounts had been frozen by the investigators. :)

[Thomas Veil]

2. If we did have a Congress of prostitutes, you would think the opinion polls would be higher.I'm all for a Congress of strippers. They don't hide anything.

[IJ Reilly]

But I'd just love to hear another plausible explanation for why that money was in Tupperware in the freezer.

I don't know, but I predict the congressman is going to spend some time in the cooler.

[Boggle]

Got to love this Congress of Prostitutes, working hard for everyone....but the American people.

Sentences like this are why it is so humorous to understand grammar. Thanks for loading me up with this image. Now instead of seeing the American people being ignored, I have the image of bare-assed, bent-over congressional representatives staring back with a wanton expression, and piles of money in the hotel room mini-bar; as foreign business exectives ask, "How much will a tariff repeal cost me?"

Priceless!

[FFTT]

I've had some green stuff growing in my fridge from time to time, but nothing like that!

[mactastic]

Ahh but if we've learned anything from the GOP, it's that any corruption scandal can be deflected with charges of "a politically-inspired prosecution" and "the other side does it too" right? :D

But rather than treading down that well-worn path, instead I say - This guy needs to be in jail, bad. Abuse of the public trust is simply unconscionable. Investigate the hell out of him, his staff, his kids, his business connections. Make an example out of him so that others aren't encouraged to follow in his steps.

Then take that same level of investigative vigor and apply it to Bob Ney, to Tom Delay, to Jack Abramoff, and to any other Congresscritter, lobbyist, and/or contractor seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the public good.

[joepunk]

I hope they freeze his assets as-well

:D

[Mike Teezie]

Ahhh, Louisiana politicians.

We grow 'em good down here.

[pseudobrit]

Umm, maybe. But I'd just love to hear another plausible explanation for why that money was in Tupperware in the freezer.

Safer than U.S. bonds?

[joepunk]

Wouldn't the Tupperware keep the money from getting freezer burn?

[FFTT]

I'm not all that sure these new Bush Bucks are worth anything anyhoo.

[yg17]

What are you talking about? I keep cash in my freezer all the time :confused:

[applemacdude]

I prefer storing my money in the fridge anyways... meh

[Dont Hurt Me]

I cant wait to hear this guys story :D Its going to be a doosy:) He is still saying he was innocent:p

[Thomas Veil]

I cant wait to hear this guys story"The freezer pays more interest than a bank." :rolleyes:

Who knows, might be true. :D

[IJ Reilly]

"The freezer pays more interest than a bank." :rolleyes:

Who knows, might be true. :D

More interest from the FBI, at least.

[zimv20]

gee, look who's suddenly concerned (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/22/AR2006052201080.html) about the separation of powers.


FBI Raid on Lawmaker's Office Is Questioned

[...]

The Saturday raid of Jefferson's quarters in the Rayburn House Office Building posed a new political dilemma for the leaders of both parties, who felt compelled to protest his treatment while condemning any wrongdoing by the lawmaker.

[...]

Republican leaders, who previously sought to focus attention on the Jefferson case as a counterpoint to their party's own ethical scandals, said they are disturbed by the raid. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said that he is "very concerned" about the incident and that Senate and House counsels will review it.

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) expressed alarm at the raid. "The actions of the Justice Department in seeking and executing this warrant raise important Constitutional issues that go well beyond the specifics of this case," he said in a lengthy statement released last night.

"Insofar as I am aware, since the founding of our Republic 219 years ago, the Justice Department has never found it necessary to do what it did Saturday night, crossing this Separation of Powers line, in order to successfully prosecute corruption by Members of Congress," he said. "Nothing I have learned in the last 48 hours leads me to believe that there was any necessity to change the precedent established over those 219 years."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement that "members of Congress must obey the law and cooperate fully with any criminal investigation" but that "Justice Department investigations must be conducted in accordance with Constitutional protections and historical precedent."

my message to the leaders of both parties:
1. clean your ****ing houses
2. apply your concerns about executive power abuses to your constituencies' rights, too

[IJ Reilly]

Wow, that just pinned the irony meter.

[mactastic]

Heh... suddenly privacy rights and the seperation of powers become important when it gets personal. Interesting...

As a further show of faith in the administration and it's actions, I'd like to see the GOP members of the House and Senate sign waivers permitting the phone companies to release all their phone records to both the Democrats and the public. Call it a show of support for the president's invasion of the public's privacy, or call it putting your money where your mouth is. You've got nothing to hide, right? :p

[mactastic]

Let's see how 'the radical left' is taking this...
Link'd (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/23/9011/88116)Rep. William Jefferson has apparently been up to no good - getting caught on tape (and with $90,000 in his freezer) in a bribery scandal. Despite the rock solid evidence compiled by the FBI, Rep. Jefferson still insists on running for office.

My plea is obvious. Tell Mr. Jefferson to resign immediately.

...

I want to see a full blown press conference with Democrats united in condemnation of this corrupt man - calling for him to resign immediately. And I want more than rhetoric. Strip him of his committee assignments. Pull support and sponsors from his bills. Cut off all ties between the party apparatus and his scandalous office. Return any money he has given to the party, even if given in previous cycles. Tell all Democratic candidates and officials that they must disassociate from him, too -- you cannot both support Jefferson's continued civil service while being a Democrat in good standing. Remove all of the benefits associated with being a Democrat. Don't send him a nickel, don't throw him a fundraiser, don't sit around silently hoping he'll go away - just show him the door.

Send him (and all Democrats) a message - if you wilfully corrupt our democracy, the Democratic party wants you out of Congress. Men and women like you cannot be a representative of the Democratic party. Do what the GOP never did with DeLay and Cunningham (and won't do with Ney, Doolittle, Lewis, Ryun, Burns, Harris, Goode, etc.), take a stand.
Yep, those America-haters are at it again...

And I'd add... these are my feelings exactly. Zero Democratic support for lawbreakers. If the GOP wants to support criminals, let them. The Democratic party should have no part in any of it, and should prove their earnestness by tossing Jefferson overboard immediately.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Heh... suddenly privacy rights and the seperation of powers become important when it gets personal. Interesting...

As a further show of faith in the administration and it's actions, I'd like to see the GOP members of the House and Senate sign waivers permitting the phone companies to release all their phone records to both the Democrats and the public. Call it a show of support for the president's invasion of the public's privacy, or call it putting your money where your mouth is. You've got nothing to hide, right? :pThats one great idea.

[tristan]

This guy's never heard of a swiss bank account I guess.

[IJ Reilly]

This guy's never heard of a swiss bank account I guess.

Maybe he thought it was a Swiss cheese bank account.

[solvs]

Let's see how 'the radical left' is taking this...
Kinda funny that Hastert supports this guy more than that darn liberal media. Or anyone here for that matter. No one here is defending him, as it should be.

I don't have a problem with the feds going after the guy in any way they can. As long as they have a warrant. Which they did. The rest of Congress is just a little worried because of the implications. Now they know how we feel. Except of course, they're actually guilty of stuff.

[tristan]

Of course some spook could have planted the $90k one hour before the planned search in order to discredit a congressman... stranger things have happened. Don't you guys watch "Prison Break"?

[Thomas Veil]

I don't have a problem with the feds going after the guy in any way they can. As long as they have a warrant. Which they did.So the Republicans (and some Democrats) have their shorts up in a knot over the fact that the congressman's office was raided. Never been done before! Whoa!

Um...is there any statutory or constitutional reason why it shouldn't be done?

Or could it possibly be that they're just used to thinking they're above the law?

Nah. :rolleyes:

[scem0]

Maybe he just got confused and took the expression "cold, hard cash" literally.

e

[aquajet]

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060524/ap_on_go_co/raid_on_congress_12;_ylt=Ar.****WwfN1hmbbvc1MhK.GbToC;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl)

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The FBI's raid on a Democrat's office rippled through Capitol Hill Wednesday, with Republicans demanding that the bureau surrender documents and other items its agents seized under what lawmakers said were unconstitutional circumstances.

"I think those materials ought to be returned," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, adding that the FBI agents involved "ought to be frozen out of that (case) for the sake of the Constitution."

A day earlier, the Illinois Republican complained personally to President Bush about the Saturday night raid of Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record)'s legislative office, saying it violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine. Other House officials have predicted that the case would bring all three branches together at the Supreme Court for a constitutional showdown.

The raid also has united Democrats and Republicans in a rare, election-year accord. But while they stand together in opposition to an executive branch raid of a legislative branch office, party leaders are acting on different political agendas.

Democrats, hoping to exploit Republican scandals on Capitol Hill and regain control of Congress, are making it known that Jefferson, of Louisiana, is no longer welcome on the House's most prestigious panel, the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

For his part, Jefferson, who has denied wrongdoing, remains defiant.

"I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain, long-term political strategy," Jefferson said Tuesday. "If asked, I would respectfully decline."

His spokeswoman, Melanie Roussell, added that Jefferson will not resign from Congress.

The developments are the beginning of what lawmakers predict will be a long dispute over the FBI's search of Jefferson's office last weekend. Historians say it was the first raid of a representative's quarters in Congress' 219 years.

FBI agents searched Jefferson's office in pursuit of evidence in a bribery investigation. The search warrant, signed by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan, was based on an affidavit that said agents found $90,000 in cash wrapped and stashed in the freezer of Jefferson's home.

Jefferson has not been indicted and has denied wrongdoing. The search brought Republican and Democratic leaders together in a rare alliance, fighting what they branded a breach of constitutional boundaries between branches of government.

"My opinion is that they took the wrong path," Hastert said of the FBI, after meeting with Bush in the White House. "They need to back up, and we need to go from there."

White House officials said they did not learn of the search until after it happened. They pledged to work with the Justice Department to soothe lawmakers.

"We are hoping that there's a way to balance the constitutional concerns of the House of Representatives with the law enforcement obligations of the executive branch," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "Obviously we are taking note of Speaker Hastert's statements."

House Democrats reacted particularly quickly, in keeping with their election-year pledge to campaign against what they call a Republican "culture of corruption."

Officials said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had discussed Jefferson's situation with several fellow senior lawmakers and there was a consensus that he should step aside, preferably voluntarily, at least until his legal situation was clarified. It was not clear whether she or an emissary approached Jefferson. The officials who described the developments did so on condition of anonymity, citing the delicacy of the situation.

Pelosi moved aggressively recently when questions were raised about financial dealings of Rep. Alan Mollohan (news, bio, voting record). The West Virginian quickly announced that he was voluntarily stepping aside as the senior Democrat on the ethics committee.

Whatever Jefferson's fate, the weekend raid stirred bipartisan expressions of concern.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying, "We have a great deal of respect for the Congress as a coequal branch of government."

But he also defended the search: "We have an obligation to the American people to pursue the evidence where it exists."

Justice Department officials said the decision to search Jefferson's office was made in part because he refused to comply with a subpoena for documents last summer. Jefferson reported the subpoena to the House on Sept. 15, 2005.

[skunk]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying, "We have a great deal of respect for the Congress as a coequal branch of government."

But he also defended the search: "We have an obligation to the American people to pursue the evidence where it exists."I give that two wows.

[mactastic]

The Democratic leadership should be tougher with Jefferson - but at least they're not rewriting the rules to protect him like the GOP did for DeLay...

[IJ Reilly]

I give that two wows.

I bow to your wows.

[zap2]

Stupid, when you get bribs you spend the cash:p

or give it to you Sweedish bank account(or spend it on Sweedish Fish!!)

[mactastic]

Hmmm... could this (http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_officia.html) be why Hastert came out so forcefully against law officials searching the offices of members of Congress?

I'm sure this is all still rumor and speculation, so don't hang your hat on this yet... but the rumor is out there.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress, ABC News has learned from senior U.S. law enforcement officials.

Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government.

Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes.
Interesting, if true...

[IJ Reilly]

Stoopeed, vhee yuoo get breebs yuoo spend zee cesh:p

oor geefe-a it tu yuoo Sveedeesh bunk eccuoont (oor spend it oon Sveedeesh Feesh!!)

I don't understand.

[joepunk]

How did the Feds know to look into the freezer in the first place.

I mean don't house guests usually go digging through the fridge. More instantly edible items that one does not have to wait for the microwave.

[mactastic]

How did the Feds know to look into the freezer in the first place.

I mean don't house guests usually go digging through the fridge. More instantly edible items that one does not have to wait for the microwave.
They had a search warrant for his house. I would imagine Jefferson isn't the first person to think he could hide something in his fridge... and I'm sure the FBI has the fridge on their checklist of places to search when they execute a warrant.

[maestro55]

Looking at the evidence at hand, it appears that they have enough to take this guy to court. I don't see anything wrong with that, I don't care who you are (or who you work for) if you break the law then you should be prosecuted. We need to show everyone that we mean business and we don't like dirty politics.

[zimv20]

nyt (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/washington/27inquire.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=bdb72883b813538b&hp&ex=1148702400&partner=homepage)


Gonzales Said He Would Quit in Raid Dispute

WASHINGTON, May 26 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III, and senior officials and career prosecutors at the Justice Department told associates this week that they were prepared to quit if the White House directed them to relinquish evidence seized in a bitterly disputed search of a House member's office, government officials said Friday.

Mr. Gonzales was joined in raising the possibility of resignation by the deputy attorney general, Paul J. McNulty, the officials said. Mr. Gonzales and Mr. McNulty told associates that they had an obligation to protect evidence in a criminal case and would be unwilling to carry out any White House order to return the material to Congress.

The potential showdown was averted Thursday when President Bush ordered the evidence to be sealed for 45 days to give Congress and the Justice Department a chance to work out a deal.

The evidence was seized by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents last Saturday night in a search of the office of Representative William J. Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana. The search set off an uproar of protest by House leaders in both parties, who said the intrusion by an executive branch agency into a Congressional office violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine. They demanded that the Justice Department return the evidence.

The possibility of resignations underscored the gravity of the crisis that gripped the Justice Department as the administration grappled with how to balance the pressure from its own party on Capitol Hill against the principle that a criminal investigation, especially one involving a member of Congress, should be kept well clear of political considerations.

It is not clear precisely what message Mr. Gonzales delivered to Mr. Bush when they met Thursday morning at the White House, or whether he informed the president of the resignation talk. But hours later, the White House announced that the evidence would be sealed for 45 days in the custody of the solicitor general, the Justice Department official who represents the government before the Supreme Court. That arrangement ended the talk of resignations.

(more)

[IJ Reilly]

Huh. So it looks like we really can't lose here.

[FFTT]

That search went on for hours with mirror images of hard drives, documents, and contact lists etc.

I can only imagine that this will yield a very interesting chain of connections
showing who was working with who and to what extent.

I totally expect more warrants to be issued.