Posted on 09/08/2007 3:44:40 PM PDT by Libloather
Jefferson asks judge to toss 14 charges
And he wants trial moved to Washington
Saturday, September 08, 2007
By Bruce Alpert
WASHINGTON -- Accusing the Bush Justice Department of mounting a bogus bribery case and employing race-based tactics, attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, asked a federal judge Friday to throw out 14 of the 16 charges against the nine-term congressman and to move his trial to Washington, D.C., from northern Virginia.
**SNIP**
Legal scholars said some of the motions have a chance to prevail.
In the most provocative challenge, lead attorney Robert Trout accused the government of choreographing events, including changing the location of a 2005 meeting in which Jefferson received $100,000 from an informant, to justify bringing the case in a jurisdiction friendlier to the prosecution. The brief said the government wants to try the case in northern Virginia because the judicial district has a lower percentage of African-Americans than Washington, and may therefore be more sympathetic to an African-American politician.
The Justice Department defended its decision to try the case in the northern Virginia suburb of Alexandria.
**SNIP**
Jefferson's motions, filed with U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, argue that some documents photographed during the Aug. 3, 2005, search of the congressman's New Orleans home should be excluded as evidence because they were not specified in the warrant. Defense attorneys also argue that the Justice Department side-stepped statute of limitations deadlines and evidence problems by lumping some charges under vague conspiracy allegations.
The attorneys also say that what Jefferson is accused of doing, including accepting payments to help U.S. firms get contracts in Africa and meeting with U.S. government agencies to further the deals, doesn't meet the definition of the federal bribery statute.
**SNIP**
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Ellis is nobody’s fool, and he doesn’t tolerate BS. He is about as hard-nosed as any judge you’ll find.
We've even seen some of them post on these Craig threads and speak ominously of a conspiracy to get the Senator ~ as if anyone could predict he was going to visit an off the main line of travel toilet highlighted in all the gay "where to get it" websites.
Some Democrat women like Nancy Pelosi don't believe all those stories about black men stealing money, which is why she's defending Jefferson. She'd defend Jefferson if he'd been cruising toilets too ~ but he didn't.
No doubt Jefferson thinks condemnatory thoughts about Craig, and Craig reciprocates them when it comes to Jefferson, but they're both criminals aren't they.
Jefferson would come across with a confession if we'd promise to keep guys like Craig out of his cell.
Jefferson's deviation from Liberal orthodoxy will be noted.
that says a lot.
I believe that's a country called 'Merica - eh?
That means he could be guilty of only 2 felonies? Conviction on one is enough for me although all 16 would be pretty cool...
Only two legal scholars responded to the questionnaire because the third one strangled as the result of his head being so far up his as that he couldn't breath.
Not likely. Blank-O is and empty asshat for the Landrieux Family. If you can find the old live interviews watch closely. Blank-O is asked question after question, she is unable to answer ANY of them untill Mary L performs her crummy ventriloquism trick on her! LOL!!!
But cerially, President Bush must hate refigerators and freezers, cause he never even showed up at my house to clean mine after katrina, and he sent the FBI to clean up Billy Jeffs (D La.)!
LMAO!!!
Anybody have any doubt that William "Cold cash" Jefferson could find an OJ jury that couldn't spell 'DNA' if you spotted them the 'D' and the 'A'?
Well this will certainly raise the public’s confidence it their representatives in Congress, won’t it?
Sheesh.
I can't claim to be legal scholar, but I've tried a fair number of cases before Judge Ellis, and these motions have no chance of prevailing.
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