Rep. Jefferson Heads into Election With FBI Case Hanging Over His Head and No Trial Date in Sight

For the second time in a row, Rep. William Jefferson heads into the general election with public corruption allegations hanging over his head. Luckily for him, there’s no trial date in sight and he seems to have a loyal voter base. There’s a good possibility he could emerge victorious again. Before long, we’ll know for sure.

By Bruce Alpert
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
WASHINGTON– More than 39 months after FBI agents raided his home and found $90,000 stuffed in his freezer, Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, still is without a firm date for a corruption trial that could derail his political career even if voters give him a 10th term in Congress Dec. 6.
His trial, which had been slated to begin last February and then was rescheduled for Dec. 2, four days before his general election, is now likely to be put off until early 2009, at the earliest. The delays were brought about by the slow pace of the legal system and the thorny legal issues generated by a case with so many judicial firsts and legal precedents that it likely will be studied by legal scholars for decades.
Jefferson, who easily beat former TV anchor Helena Moreno to win the Democratic primary on Nov. 4, rates as a heavy favorite over his four challengers, including Republican political neophyte Anh “Joseph” Cao, in the Dec. 6 general election.
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