Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-LA) announcement this afternoon might be characterized as defiant, but it certainly wasn’t as fire-breathing as his last.
Refusing to comment on the specifics of the case on the advice of his lawyer, Jefferson would only say that there are “two sides” to the story. He said that he “expects to run again.”
His only notable comment was his characterization of the FBI’s search as an “outrage,” an “intrusion into the separation of powers between the executive branch and the congressional branch.” He continued: “As far as I know, there’s no real authority for it, beyond that, there were no extraordinary circumstances of which I am aware.”
We’ll no doubt be hearing more of that separation of powers argument from Jefferson’s lawyers. As we noted earlier, the FBI’s raid really was unprecedented. This case could get even more interesting.
Late Update: Here’s the text of Jefferson’s statement.
