Lawyer for indicted and expelled IL state rep compares him to Jesus

Derrick Smith is the expelled former Illinois state representative who won back his old seat on Tuesday. The Chicago Democrat was indicted in March on federal bribery charges.

Smith held a press conference today--with his attorneys at his side. Oh, it's never a good sign when a politician speaks to the media accompanied by a legal team. One of those lawyers is Victor Henderson, who has an exalted opinion of his client, as Chicago's NPR affiliate tells us:

Meantime, Henderson framed Smith as a trailblazer in Springfield, and an independent voice standing up to all the legislators who have worked against him.

"There were a lot of ministers who didn't want Martin Luther King up here in the '60s because he said he was causing problems. Look what good he did. People wanted Nelson Mandela to be quiet. People wanted Jesus to be quiet," Henderson said.

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