Caught Red-handed

It's not looking good for Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). Federal investigators found $90 thousand in cash in a freezer in his home, the serial numbers of which matched money he was reportedly videotaped accepting in a sting operation.

While the outline of the case against Mr. Jefferson has been known for months, the court papers released Sunday were the first in which he was linked by name to the bribery charges and to iGate Inc., the Louisville company that sought his help in winning contracts for its high-tech products.

The documents revealed that many of Mr. Jefferson's contacts with people involved in the bribery scheme were secretly taped, including a meeting last July at which the lawmaker received a briefcase containing $100,000 in $100 bills.

The F.B.I. said that $90,000 of that money was found in a raid on Mr. Jefferson's Washington home last August, divided into $10,000 increments and placed in "various frozen food containers and wrapped in aluminum foil." The court documents said the money was intended to pay a middleman — his name is blacked out in the court papers — who might help Mr. Jefferson secure contracts in Nigeria, an oil-rich nation plagued by government corruption.

If these allegations are true, and Jefferson knows if they are, he should resign immediately. His resignation will give Louisiana's Democratic governor the chance to appoint someone to serve out the remainder of Jefferson's term and mount a strong run as an incumbent in November. If the allegations are true, and Jefferson knows if they are, stringing his constituents and his party out until the resolution of this case will only make worse his betrayal of his constituents, his party and his country. Redemption starts with the acknowledgement of sin. If Jefferson is guitly, and he knows if he is, he should begin redeeming himself now.