Get Thee Away…

… Jefferson. The Democratic leadership met today and voted to strip William Jefferson of his committee post. The Congressional Black Caucus is crying foul.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — With members of the Congressional Black Caucus crying double standard, House Democrats met behind closed doors Thursday and voted to strip Rep. William Jefferson of his seat on the Ways and Means Committee.

The move was led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who already had asked Jefferson to step down voluntarily, a request her embattled counterpart rebuffed.

"This isn't about proof in a court of law. This is about an ethical standard," Pelosi said in a brief statement after the vote. "I wish that the White House would take our lead on this."

Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, Democratic Caucus chairman, said the vote on Jefferson was about 2-1, but he would not divulge the exact tally of the secret ballot, nor would he divulge his own vote.

Ways and Means is a powerful committee that oversees tax legislation. Now that the Democratic Caucus has approved Jefferson's suspension from the committee, the matter will head to the full House for a vote. Clyburn said he didn't know when.

Jefferson, 59, an eight-term Louisiana congressman facing a corruption investigation, attended Thursday's caucus meeting, where he addressed his colleagues, briefly spoke to reporters and left.

Well, the mandatory swipe at the White House aside, I actually think Pelosi got it right in her statement. It is about ethical standards. More, it's about the appearance of wrongdoing here. Jefferson killed the corruption issue for the Democrats just by keeping cold, hard cash. In his freezer. The CBC hurt themselves defending Jefferson, I suspect. Which is a pity, they should not have spent their political capitol on this issue. If Jefferson had stepped aside right from the start, the Dems would have been in a better position then I suspect they are at the moment.

UPDATE: AP article here. Brand new nickname for the people who voted against the measure here.

UPDATE: More details in today's Washington Post.