The Same Old Story
The same old song and dance. Democrats run in the elections using a meme about the "culture of corruption". Then once they are in office, Nancy Pelosi wants to appoint William "Cold Cash" Jefferson to the panel that oversees Homeland Security. The Republicans are going to try to force an on-the-record vote on the appointment, however.
House Republicans plan to force a floor vote on the appointment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who is the subject of a federal bribery investigation, to a seat on the Homeland Security Committee.
The decision to put Jefferson on the panel was made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), and House Democrats endorsed the move at a private meeting Tuesday night, but his appointment must be confirmed by a vote on the House floor. Such an action would normally be a formality, but Republicans said yesterday that they would pursue a rarely used maneuver to force a recorded vote on the matter.
"This is a terrible mistake by the Democratic leadership, to take someone with serious ethical allegations against him and put him on one of the most sensitive and important committees in Congress," said Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.), the ranking Republican on the committee.
Pelosi ousted Jefferson from his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee in June after federal investigators raided his Capitol Hill office. In an earlier search of his home, $90,000 was found in a freezer. The money allegedly was accepted in a bribery sting involving an African technology company. Jefferson, who has not been charged, has maintained his innocence and was elected to a ninth term in December after a runoff election.
Honestly, this man is an embarrassment to Congress, regardless of party affiliation. I honestly don't think Pelosi understands exactly how tin-eared politically this looks to the average voter. She's just confirmed that the new boss is no different than the old boss, despite the campaign rhetoric.
Uncategorized | Gaius Thursday, 1 March , 2007
By David L, Thursday, 1 March , 2007 @ 11:37 am
I disagree, a bit. It not so much what Mrs. Pelosi understands. She is not that supid. Rather it is how far must Mrs. Pelosi go to appease the Congressional Black Caucus. Mrs. Pelosi bucked the CBC in keeping Alcee Hastings off the Intelligence Committee. That one act may mark the limit of Mrs. Pelosi’s political courage.