House Approves Speedy Jefferson Probe

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

House Approves Speedy Jefferson Probe

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

(06-05) 18:13 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

The House approved a speedy internal investigation of indicted
Rep. William J. Jefferson with a pair of votes Tuesday that
could nudge him from Congress before his bribery trial.

Recalling the message of the November elections that stripped
Republicans of control of Congress, House members endorsed
two resolutions that require the ethics committee to investigate
allegations of wrongdoing more quickly than in past years.

Jefferson, meanwhile, resigned his seat on the Small Business
Committee in response to his indictment on federal charges of
taking more than $500,000 in bribes. Democrats already had
moved to take that seat away from him. Jefferson admitted no
wrongdoing.

The nine-term congressman had few allies among the leaders
of his own party.

The charges against Jefferson, "if proven true, should lead
to the expulsion of the member in question," said House
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, who succeeded in ousting Jefferson from the Ways and
Means Committee, issued a similar statement Monday.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/05/national/w181203D87.DTL

[flyarm]

1. hell i am still waiting for the foley probe to be completed!!

he went running to a rehab..maybe Jefferson needs to run to a rehab!!!!!!!!!

fly

[Igel]

6. I think the Congressional one was.

But since the most Congress could have done was expel Foley, it didn't much matter. He had resigned. If Jefferson resigns before the committee does its work, the committee may as well not bother.

IIRC, the FBI and Florida are still looking at whether Foley broke any Florida laws.

[williesgirl]

2. This is good news - we need to get rid of EVERY criminal in our government. recommended

[napi21]

3. I still think they should have suspended him from the House until this mess was resolved.

Some comentator on TV tonight said he's now a congressman without ANY power. But he still has his vote. I want the Dems to show that they are much better than the Pubs. My gut says THROW HIS ASS OUT, but I will concede they probably won't or can't do that, so I'll begrudgingly asscpt susspension...from voting too!

[truthisfreedom]

4. We need this guy cleared out of our party but fast. He's a nuisance. Stupid greedy f*cker.

He's in the wrong party.

[Demeter]

5. Didn't The Congress Already Do an Investigation?

I seem to recall something at the time of the scandal breaking....

[razorman]

7. There are going to be crooks in any party.

The telling difference will be in whether a particular party accepts such behavior. The repubs have a rule that any of their members under indictment must step down. That's how we got rid of DeLay.
However, if we tiptoe around the Jefferson situation, and the Dem leadership is timid in dealing with him, this will give the Pubbies an excuse to break out their "holier than thou" attitude about corruption in Congress.

[nerddem]

8. exactly

which is why we shouldn't stand for double standards like "hugo chavez isn't a dictator, because he's antiamerican makes him good, even though he stifles free speech, etc"