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Letter from William Jefferson:

My attorneys tell me that it is not in my best interest to speak about the criminal investigation at this time. But I feel compelled to make a statement because I believe that my constituents are entitled to hear some response to the spate of recent publicity about me, and I have an obligation to think about your interests, as well.

Over the past nine months, my family and I have had to endure the hell of a federal criminal investigation. I have hoped that the government would come to understand that the actions under scrutiny were not illegal. Unfortunately, the government seems inclined to view the facts in the worst possible light, and to characterize events that could be explained, or are exculpatory, in ways that tend to incriminate. In the end, I fear, the ends of justice are not served by this approach.

I wish to say emphatically that in all of my actions here under scrutiny, that I never intended to dishonor my office, or you, the public, and I certainly did not sell my office.

Some of our friends have succumbed to the enormous pressure that the government has brought to bear, and in order to protect themselves, they have now characterized their relationship with me, or my family, in ways that fit neatly within the government´s mistaken legal theories. This saddens me greatly, since these were people whom my family and I respected and with whom we enjoyed warm, personal relationships. Our support for them grew out of these relationships, not out of any agreements to use my official position in exchange for some monetary benefit. Our friendship and loyalty have been betrayed, and we fear that the truth has been compromised in the process. We pray that God will forgive them.

It will be only through a tortuous process that my family and I will be able to re-establish the truth. In this, we ask for the patience, if not the support, of the public. Indeed, when I began serving in Congress, there were two Congressmen, who happened to be African American, then serving in Congress under indictment by Federal prosecutors - Rep. Harold Ford, Sr. of Tennessee and Rep. Floyd Flake of New York. It took each of them over six years to establish their innocence. But in the end, they and their family members were found not guilty. They stayed in Congress and continued to do their jobs with the support of their people, as I am now continuing to deliver for the people of the district that I have been privileged to represent for nearly 16 years.

More recently, Mississippi Supreme Court Judge Diaz had the unfortunate experience of having his former wife plead guilty to some charge and testify against him. Nonetheless, he was found not guilty by a jury of his peers.

I therefore have not come here to announce my resignation. Far from it: I have come to declare, among other things, my continued intention to serve.

No one wants to be indicted. I certainly do not and I certainly do not want anyone - a family member or close associate - to be indicted. But I am prepared to answer these charges formally when and if the time comes. Unfortunately, as we await that day, there have been selective leaks of what is supposed to be confidential information from unidentified "law enforcement sources." Therefore, I ask the government to refrain from this process of death by a thousand cuts that generates salacious headlines and bad press for my family and to make no further public disclosures until it decides to close the matter and leave my family alone or to indict me and give me a reasonable opportunity to prepare my defense.

I would take full responsibility for any crimes that I committed if that were the case. But I will not plead guilty to something I did not do, no matter how things are made to look and no matter the risks. My family has insisted that I take this position, even if it causes additional repercussions or discomfort for them. As a family, we trust God to see us through.

So today, I am not afraid, but rather, at peace. I apologize to you, the public, my constituents, for the predicament we are now enduring together. But when you elected me, you knew I would fight for the underdog, fight for the right. This is not always without risks.

Thank you and I pray for your patience, understanding, prayers and support.