Look, I’m no fan of the F.B.I. and there are many, many, many instances of these guys going after completely innocent people. But, I do want to note a follow up to the info I posted a week ago about the F.B.I. raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson, one of the CAFTA 15. Heck, he may be guilty of turning his back on working people but he’s innocent until proven guilty on this stuff.

Here’s the first bit of a Washington Post story today:

FBI Sting Targeted Louisiana Lawmaker
By Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2005

Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), a veteran member of the Ways and Means Committee whose homes in Washington and New Orleans were raided by the FBI last week, had been the target of an undercover FBI sting involving public corruption for nearly a year, according to law enforcement sources.

Investigators are looking into whether Jefferson illegally pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars of an investor’s money from business transactions during the sting, according to the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.

According to the sources, a high-tech company that was starting up in Northern Virginia agreed to cooperate with the FBI in the sting, and conversations with Jefferson were secretly recorded.

Jefferson, an eight-term congressman who once was dogged by reports of defaults on outstanding loans and mortgages, allegedly agreed to invest in the start-up company and use his congressional influence to bring in business, the sources said.”

The rest of the story can be found here (registration required).