The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) dug in its heels yesterday in defense of indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) and expressed concerns that a House ethics investigation on the lawmaker’s alleged corrupt activities could influence, even poison, a future jury trial.
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), the CBC chairwoman, said in a release, “We trust the merits of the case against Congressman Jefferson will be examined in a court of law instead of the chambers of public opinion.”
{mosads}“The presumption of innocence has a significant meaning, even for a member of Congress,” said Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), who said he had spoken to Jefferson during the past 48 hours. “It is difficult to read these very serious allegations and not jump to a conclusion, but we must not do that.”
Nevertheless, nearly all CBC lawmakers voted for a measure that requires the ethics committee to investigate any lawmaker who has been indicted. Of the six Democratic lawmakers opposed to the Democratic resolution, two were CBC members:
Reps. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) and John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.).
“The ethics committee has no credibility,” said Clay, who also rejected a GOP-backed resolution Tuesday night that called on the ethics panel to investigate Jefferson. “We have had since 2005 to decide what to do, why now? It’s shenanigans.”
No CBC lawmaker has called for Jefferson to resign.
When asked, Clay said, “That’s on him.”
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) yesterday said, “I think Mr. Jefferson’s effectiveness has been substantially impaired, and I think he needs to take that into consideration as to what action he is going to take.”
The CBC has attempted to protect Jefferson from political pressure to resign, but it has not been able to stop the Democratic Caucus from stripping him of his committee assignments.
Jefferson spared his colleagues from a difficult vote by temporarily resigning on Monday from the Small Business Committee. Jefferson did not vote on either ethics resolution on Tuesday.
Butterfield said that Jefferson was “holding up well,” but that he was distressed and concerned about the case and the potential legal fees.
Jefferson has $32,963 in his war chest and reported no donations to his legal defense fund during the first quarter of this year, according to Political Money Line, which tracks campaign finance data.
House Republicans raised questions about whether some Democrats appointed to the ethics pool could impartially judge Jefferson.
One of the contributors, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), said, “If I thought I could not be fair and impartial, I’d recuse myself.”
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who also contributed money to Jefferson, would answer that question if she is selected from the ethics pool, said Nathan Britton, Lee’s spokesman.
Reps. Butterfield, Julia Carson (D-Ind.), Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.), and Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.) contributed to his campaign this year. Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Meeks contributed to his legal defense fund last year.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who donated money to former Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s (R-Texas) legal defense fund, recused himself from an ethics committee investigation in 2005.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) also recused himself from the panel in 2005 because he contributed money to DeLay.