There’s been a lot of talk here over the weekend about what the Congress and the Democrats should do about Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-LA) now that he’s been elected to another term in Congress, despite apparently strong evidence that he’s a crook.
I think the answer to this question is much simpler than people let on: nothing.
I think this is an issue of standards that apply at different stages of the process and who has standing to do what.
The Dems yanked Jefferson’s plum spot on the Ways and Means Committee back in June. That was the right thing to do then and I certainly expect they won’t undo it now. That’s the big privilege they give him as a member of the Democratic caucus. And they took it away.
But now Jefferson’s constituents have reelected him with full knowledge of the apparent evidence against him. I wish they hadn’t. But they did. And the election wasn’t even close.
At this point, I don’t think you can sanction Jefferson or his constituents any further before there’s even been an indictment. I think Jefferson’s crooked. I’m embarrassed he was reelected. But as clear as the evidence looks, the Feds still haven’t seen fit to indict him. And none of it has been scrutinized in court.
Again, as I said, different standards apply at different stages and before different judges. Caucus rights are a privilege. A party doesn’t need a jury verdict to act. They can go by the evidence they see in front of them and they can err on the side of heightened scrutiny. To go further though, to talk about preventing the guy from taking his seat in Congress, requires more. At least an indictment and I’d say a conviction too.
