Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) continues to maintain a heavy workload and visible profile despite the January guilty plea of former aide Eric Pfeffer that implicated the congressman in a bribery scheme involving African countries and a telecommunications company in the United States. According to Roll Call, “Jefferson — referred to only as ‘Representative A’ in Pfeffer’s plea agreement — allegedly demanded an ownership stake of 5 percent to 7 percent in a telecommunications firm that Pfeffer was helping to start up in Nigeria.” Jefferson has continued to appear with Democratic leaders in visits to his New Orleans district, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and was “one of about a dozen speakers at a press conference in Washington, D.C., for the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign, which is seeking to protect the voting rights of displaced New Orleans residents for the upcoming New Orleans mayoral campaign.” Jefferson has stated that he is “disappointed and somewhat perplexed” by the allegations made against him.