Cooper: I went further than I should have gone

Give Rudi Keller credit for doing a tough job under trying circumstances. The Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian political reporter not only has to tell the story of the downfall of Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, but he has to do it working for a publisher,Gary Rust, who donated the maximum $325 to both Cooper's primary and general election campaigns in 2006.
Nevertheless, Keller is all over the story, using court documents and an interview with Cooper to give his readers what they need to know about Cooper's resignation:

In an interview with the Southeast Missourian Thursday afternoon following his court appearance, Cooper said the complexity of federal immigration law "has a tremendous number of regulations and requirements, and they need to be followed."

But when asked about the specific actions he took, Cooper said: "I am not trying to evade any responsibility. I was trying to help clients, and I went further than I should have gone."

Cooper's attorney, Joel Schwartz of St. Louis, said many of Cooper's actions are open to interpretation under federal law. But too much of what Cooper did crosses the line into criminal activity, Schwartz said. "On the big portion, there is no argument, there is no debate. It is very clear, for lack of a better term, that Nathan Cooper had committed illegal acts, and on those points there is no debate."

Cooper appeared Thursday morning before U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton and waived his right to be charged by a grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty to two felonies. He will be sentenced Oct. 19.