[StBernard] Is Congress Circling the Wagons?

[Westley Annis]

Dollar Bill: In addition to their self-inflicted earmark problem,
congressional Democrats find their political situation complicated by the
16-count indictment of Rep. William Jefferson. This came as no surprise,
considering that other principals in his dealings have already been sent to
prison. 

It took a Republican privileged resolution by Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio) to force action on Jefferson's case with the House Ethics
Committee. The resolution passed overwhelmingly last night, with some
important highlights:

*	Five Republicans, including the ethically embattled John Doolittle
(R-Calif.), voted against the resolution reopening Jefferson's case before
the Ethics Committee. 
	
	
*	Also voting against was Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), who is under
his own ethical cloud for disseminating an illegally wiretapped conversation
to the press in 1996. McDermott lost the last round of this legal battle in
the District of Columbia Circuit Court earlier this year.
	
	
*	Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took advantage of her privilege as
Speaker not to have her vote recorded. 
	
	
*	Thirteen members of the Congressional Black Caucus voted against
investigating Jefferson. Four voted present, and five (including Jefferson
himself) did not vote. The other 17 voted in favor.
	
	
*	Two endangered Democrats -- Representatives Nick Lampson (D-Tex.)
and Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) -- have called for Jefferson to resign from the
House, even though he has not been convicted of any crime.

Ironically, Jefferson's voting record made him one of the most conservative
members of the Democratic caucus. He was the sixth-highest-ranked Democrat
on the 2006 Club for Growth scorecard.