'You and I are paying the pensions of criminals,' says Rep.

Ron Brynaert
Raw Story
Jun. 11, 2007

Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA), indicted for 16 felonies including racketeering and soliciting bribes, could end up getting more retirement money than the FBI found hidden in his freezer, and a Republican Congressman is blaming Democratic senators for not putting a stop to it.

"Congressman Jefferson is accused of soliciting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for himself and his family, even under the Capitol dome," Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) noted in the House Republican radio address Saturday. "He was even caught on tape accepting bribe money. Two years ago, federal investigators raided his New Orleans home and found $90,000 stuffed in a box in his freezer - $90,000 literally in hard, cold cash."

Kirk added, "When politicians violate the public trust, they must be held accountable and if Congressman Jefferson is found guilty, he should go to jail. But I believe Congress should do one more thing."

'You and I are paying the pensions of criminals,' says Rep.

The Republican Congressman noted that just recently "several former Members of Congress who were already convicted and sent to jail, cashed in their taxpayer-funded retirement checks."

"After indictment and conviction - beyond a shadow of a doubt - they are still paid each month by the very taxpayers they betrayed," Kirk continued. "That's right. You and I are paying the pensions of criminals. Each year you and I are paying Dan Rostenkowski $125,000; and Duke Cunningham $64,000; and James Traficant $40,000; and Bob Ney $29,000: all former members of Congress who are convicted for crimes that violated the public trust and their oath of office. And there are plenty more."

A press release issued earlier this year by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (C.R.E.W.), pointed out that "Cunningham, who is serving an eight-year prison term after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes and evading more than $1 million in taxes, is eligible for an estimated $64,000 annual pension with his military service, including $36,000 a year from his eight terms in Congress, according to the National Taxpayers Union."

"Ney will be eligible to draw a congressional pension of about $29,000 a year when he turns 62 in 2016, the group estimated," the C.R.E.W. press release added.

Last week, The Hill reported, "At least 20 former members of Congress convicted of felonies in the past 30 years receive or stand to collect taxpayer-funded retirement checks, according to the NTU."

"If Congressman Jefferson is convicted on the 16 counts he faces, not only could he receive a possible 200 year prison term, but it's estimated he would be paid 40 to 50 thousand dollars in an annual taxpayer-funded pension," Kirk said Saturday. "That means that in just two years, he'll receive more retirement cash than the FBI found in his freezer - and all of it will be paid for by you, the taxpayer. "

Kirk continued, "In January, I introduced legislation that details 21 felonies that, if a Member of Congress is found guilty of, would result in a forfeiture of their pension. Democrats rejected my bill, and instead passed a watered-down version that lowered the number of felonies from 21 to only four."

"Americans were promised changes in Washington, but after five months in Congress, convicted members of Congress are still withdrawing our tax dollars from the jailhouse ATM," Kirk added. "That's not the change Americans were promised."