We believe Bill Jefferson is innocent.

Jefferson

  U. S. Representative William Jefferson has been accused by the Federal government of breaking the law. Federal officials allege that Congressman Jefferson accepted bribes and paid bribes to high ranking African officials for personal gain.
  The feds say they have Jefferson on tape accepting a $100,000 bribe and that $90,000 in cash was found in his freezer at home. Moreover, they said that two of Jefferson’s former associates have pleaded guilty of bribing him or helping in a bribe.
  Leaks to the news media have just about convinced John Q. Public that Jefferson is guilty.
  Ironically, while many members of the general public have concluded that he is guilty, the feds have not charged him with a crime and the embattled Congressman has repeatedly said that he has done nothing wrong.
  An unprecedented twist in the investigation occurred when the FBI raided Jefferson’s congressional office in Washington D. C. It is unprecedented because it has never happened in the entire history of our country: never. If it has never happened in history, the question is why now?
  The case goes beyond the innocence or guilt of Jefferson and raises disturbing questions.
  The first question is why did the feds, with all the evidence at hand, believe they had to embark on a fishing expedition that traversed the branches of government?
  The second question is can one branch of government raid the sanctity of another branch’s personal governmental files and if so what does this mean to congressmen, senators and even judges in the future?
  Everyone agrees that no one is above the law but not everyone agrees that the executive branch has the right to raid the offices of another branch of government. We tend to agree with the latter and if the courts uphold the intrusion of the feds into the legislative branch, we recommend that congress introduce legislation to prohibit such raids in the future.
  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to visualize the potential dangers if over zealous prosecutors can raid congressional offices with impunity.
We believe Bill Jefferson is innocent. We believe this because we believe in the rule of law where every man is innocent until proven guilty.
  Congressman Jefferson is entitled to his day in court. A jury of his peers will determine his innocence or guilt in a court of law. This is the American way.
  His case should not be tried in the news media nor should newspaper editorials conclude that he is guilty afore hand: this not the American way.

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