June 05, 2007

Democratic Leaders Seek Swift Action Against Jefferson

House Democratic leaders are expected to move as early as today to remove Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., from the House Small Business Committee and instigate an Ethics Committee investigation on the heels of his indictment Monday on 16 corruption-related charges.

While Jefferson continued to plead his innocence, senior leadership aides said Democrats hope to distance themselves from the scandal-plagued lawmaker while retaining their party's upper hand on ethics issues that helped them win back control of Congress.

In separate statements, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., both took pains to point out the seriousness of the charges against Jefferson, even while stressing he has yet to be found guilty.

NationalJournal.com has the full story for free; see CongressDaily (subscription) for more of today's news.

Posted at 8:44 AM
Posted to: Congress, House, William Jefferson
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