‘Cold Cash’ Trial Set to Begin

Justice may be blind, but it sure ain’t quick.

Forty-six months after federal agents found $90,000 of aluminum-wrapped cash in his freezer, and thirty-seven months after FBI agents raided his office on Capitol Hill, former Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) begins trial today in Virginia on charges that he sought cash in exchange for promoting U.S. business deals in Africa.

There’s plenty of intrigue here, as even the most casual observers of this saga have been curious how Jefferson intends to explain the choice of safety-deposit box that earned him the nickname “Cold Cash.” Meanwhile, The Hill yesterday briefly summarized the line of defense his lawyers plan to peddle:

The attorneys argue that the $100,000 Jefferson allegedly received in exchange for promoting donors’ business interests in the U.S. and Africa, including $90,000 found in his freezer, was not illegal because his dealings were related to private business and were not “official” in nature.

Good luck with that.