|
One defense Rep. William Jefferson has mounted to
contest federal bribery charges against him might be undermining another
defense he has raised. Jefferson contends he shouldn't be charged with
public bribery because he never performed "official acts," such as
voting or introducing legislation, to promote business ventures in
Africa. He also has tried to get the bribery charges thrown out by
saying the grand jury that indicted him in June heard details of his
legislative activities in violation of the Constitution's "speech or
debate" clause. But in a written ruling last week, U.S. District Judge
T.S. Ellis III pointed out the potential conflict between the two
arguments. While noting that grand jurors heard about Jefferson's role
in passing Africa trade legislation, he said it wasn't relevant because
the government has not accused Jefferson of selling his vote or, what
the congressman might call an "official act." Ellis has yet to render an
opinion on Jefferson's interpretation of the bribery statute, but in
last week's decision, he made his views on the "speech or debate" clause
quite clear: "Put simply, the speech or debate clause is not a license
to commit a crime." |