‘Cold Cash’ Congressman Ousted

Republicans were hit hard this past election, but one group has suffered even worse: congressmen plagued by scandal. First, Ted Stevens was defeated. Now William Jefferson, the Louisiana legislator who has been indicted on 16 counts of racketeering, bribery, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, has lost his reelection bid. The victor, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Republican community organizer (turns out those terms are not mutually exclusive), is the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress. Jefferson got the nickname “Cold Cash” when the FBI discovered $90,000 in the freezer at his Washington, D.C., home. Even so, Jefferson was expected to win in the heavily African-American and Democratic district. The election was held yesterday, after a delay caused by Hurricane Gustav in September.