Wednesday, June 06, 2007

The Real Issue is ...

As of this writing, Rep. William Jefferson, D-LA, has voluntarily stepped down from his congressional committee assignment in light of the federal indictments he must now face. There is, however, no indication that he will voluntarily resign his congressional seat and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure that he should even though there does seem to be a “smoking gun” related to the charges against him. Still, being under indictment in this country is not the same as having been convicted and if we believe in equal protection and presumed innocence until proved otherwise, I see no need for his resignation.

Of course Republicans are going to try to get as much mileage as they can from this situation just as Democrats decried the Republican “culture of corruption” when so many, including “Scooter” Libby, were facing indictments and/or prison time. The problem as it seems, however, is that this very political Congress has over the years digressed into a tit-for-tat mentality that will only get worse after each election cycle because no politician I can think of has the guts or the will to end it. Unfortunately, they cannot be held completely responsible because we voters are the ones who continue to reelect them due, I think primarily, to our complacency and apathy.

Back to the topic at hand. Mr. Jefferson has not been convicted, yet there are ethics investigations pending in the Congress to try and determine whether the congressman has violated any House rules. I suppose for the sake of expediency, Mr. Jefferson may need to consider such a move since he will have a difficult time getting anything done until this matter is put to rest. There are not only Republicans demanding his liver on a stick but a few Democrats as well, fearing as they should the accusation of that same “culture of corruption” that politically dogged the Republicans for so long. Being distracted by the federal indictments and then also facing an ethics inquiry within the House means that Mr. Jefferson will be under suspicion from now until the time he is convicted or exonerated. Considering the time line for a typical trial, this could take months. In the meantime, the good people of Louisiana’s District 2 will be out their duly elected representative.

It’s too bad that as implied by this impending House ethics committee investigation that there is a complete disconnect between service as a member of Congress, law and order, and jurisprudence. The House committee investigation is also somewhat lagging in relevance considering that this investigation has been going on for two years. The House leadership cannot say this is all new to them; in fact, it was the former Republican speaker Dennis Hastert who raised such a stink when the FBI searched Mr. Jefferson’s congressional office last year, maintaining that the separation of powers prohibited such a search, disregarding the cash that had already been found in the congressman’s home freezer. Still, the cloud of suspicion existed and no one seemed interested in an ethics investigation until now when official federal indictments have been issued.

The fact that a sitting US congressman is under indictment is genuine news that affects us all to one degree or another but politically speaking, what is the issue that concerns the US House specifically? The gentleman from Louisiana must now answer the indictments - and it will be a matter between his attorney and the prosecutors - but does the Congress as a body have any real dog in this fight beyond the Democrat vs. Republican political ramifications? Of course not. The matter is between the people of the United States and Mr. Jefferson himself not as a congressman but as a citizen who is accused of criminal activity while serving as a congressman. That he is accused of using his office to make special deals is merely incidental though certainly mitigating. Would any among us be more or less guilty as mere citizens under similar indictments? Politically, yes; legally and constitutionally, no.

We citizens are the ones who have a real and compelling interest in this matter as it unfolds because the real issue now is whether or not Mr. Jefferson is presumed innocent before trial or is guilty by mere accusation. Accused child molesters and rapists face the very same public risk once their names and faces are pasted all over the news media and are forevermore permanently connected to the crimes whether. In the eyes of the public – and potential jurors – they are guilty as charged.

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