Ethics battle rages in House after indictment of Democrat
Both parties move against Jefferson
WASHINGTON -- Monday's indictment of Representative William J. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, touched off an ethics battle in the House yesterday, with leaders from both parties moving quickly against Jefferson even as they accused each other of having no real interest in tighter rules.
In short order, the House last night approved a Democratic motion that would make an ethics investigation automatic upon the indictment of any House member and then approved a Republican motion that could lead to Jefferson's expulsion.
The GOP resolution, offered by minority leader John A. Boehner, an Ohio Republican, referred Jefferson's case to the ethics committee, demanding that the panel report back on whether his expulsion is merited. The Democratic rule change, introduced by majority leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, would give the ethics committee 30 days after an indictment to initiate an investigation or explain why it declined.
Jefferson gave up his last remaining committee position, a seat on the Small Business Committee, telling Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, that the move is not an admission of guilt, but a reflection of "recent developments in a legal matter."
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Democrat of Ohio and chairwoman of the ethics committee, announced that her panel would reconvene an investigative subcommittee assembled last year to probe allegations against Jefferson.
Pressure mounted on Jefferson -- in Washington and in his New Orleans district -- to resign. The New Orleans Times-Picayune said he has "become a liability for his district and Louisiana."
The reaction in the African-American community was more mixed. Beverly McKenna, publisher and editor of the Tribune, the city's black newspaper, said she woke up yesterday and decided not to editorialize about the indictment. "This whole situation is so painful for me," she said. "The Jeffersons are good friends of mine."
For Republicans, Jefferson's indictment on 16 counts of corruption, racketeering, and bribery marked an opportunity to shift attention from their own ethics issues, which have nearly half a dozen GOP lawmakers under federal investigation and forced three members to resign. 