By Christian Bourge, CongressDaily
© National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

House Democratic leaders are expected to move as early as today to remove Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., from the House Small Business Committee and instigate an Ethics Committee investigation on the heels of his indictment Monday on 16 corruption-related charges.

	The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., represents the first time a U.S. lawmaker has been charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

While Jefferson continued to plead his innocence, senior leadership aides said Democrats hope to distance themselves from the scandal-plagued lawmaker while retaining their party's upper hand on ethics issues that helped them win back control of Congress.

In separate statements, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., both took pains to point out the seriousness of the charges against Jefferson, even while stressing he has yet to be found guilty.

"While Mr. Jefferson, just as any other citizen, must be considered innocent until proven guilty, if these charges are proven true, they constitute an egregious and unacceptable abuse of public trust and power," Pelosi said.

Jefferson will be arraigned Friday on charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes, money laundering and obstruction of justice. The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., represents the first time a U.S. lawmaker has been charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The charges are punishable by up to 235 years in prison.

The 94-page indictment details a complex scheme in which Jefferson is alleged to have solicited more than $400,000 in bribes from U.S. business to secure deals with African governments. Investigators said Jefferson was videotaped accepting one bribe, and FBI agents discovered $90,000 in his freezer when they raided Jefferson's home.

"This case is about greed, power and arrogance," said Joseph Persichini, head of the FBI's Washington field office.

In a move to head off Republican attacks, House leaders plan for the Democratic steering committee to remove Jefferson from his committee post as early as Tuesday. Sources also said the House Ethics Committee could announce an investigation of the charges against Jefferson by today, but that timing of the move remained uncertain.

Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Monday that Jefferson should be expelled from the House if the charges are true. He also said he would offer a privileged resolution today that would force an Ethics panel to investigate the allegations and determine whether he should be removed from the House.

"If my Democratic colleagues are serious about holding all lawmakers to the highest standards of ethical conduct, they will support the Republican effort to remove Congressman Jefferson from his seat on the Small Business Committee and to refer the matter of his indictment on bribery, racketeering, and money-laundering charges to the House Ethics Committee for quick resolution," Boehner said in a statement.

Jefferson declared his innocence through his attorney, Robert Trout, who vehemently argued Monday that the government contrived to trap his client in a government sting and has no proof of a quid pro quo through legislation, earmarks or government contracts. "Congressman Jefferson is innocent," Trout said. "He plans to fight this indictment and clear his name."

Two former Jefferson associates have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the investigation.

, a former aide, admitted soliciting bribes on Jefferson's behalf and Vernon Jackson, a Louisville, Ky., telecommunications executive, pleaded guilty to paying up to $1 million in bribes to Jefferson for help in getting African business deals.

Prosecutors Monday sought to head off criticism that the case against Jefferson has taken too long, noting the complexity of the crimes he is accused of committing. And the U.S. attorney, who was appointed by President Bush, said politics was not a factor in the decision to proceed.

"Frankly, we don't give a damn about politics," said Chuck Rosenberg, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "We believe he broke the law and that is why we are bringing the charges. Period." -- Previous coverage tktktktkt.