House Republicans plan to break recent precedent and attempt to block a resolution appointing Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) to a spot on the Homeland Security Committee when it comes to the floor for a vote, Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) indicated today. Blunt blasted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her endorsement of Jefferson for the Homeland Security Committee, calling the selection "ludicrous.""I won't support that - it's such a contradiction of what the Speaker said," Blunt told reporters, referring to Pelosi's promise to run the most ethical Congress in history.
The FBI found $90,000 in cash in Jefferson's freezer when they raided his home last year as part of an investigation into whether he accepted bribes related to a telecommunications deal in Africa. Although the FBI probe is ongoing and the congressman has not been indicted, the ethics cloud hanging over Jefferson's head has caused headaches for Pelosi. Pelosi stripped Jefferson of his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee last year. That move angered members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who argued that Jefferson had not been indicted or found guilty of any crime and that ousting him from the tax-writing panel created an unfair precedent. Despite the demotion and the ongoing FBI investigation, Jefferson was reelected in November, leaving Pelosi in a quandary about how to handle his committee assignments.
Before the recess, Pelosi announced that Jefferson would be placed on the Homeland Security panel. Jefferson's district includes New Orleans, and he has been an outspoken critic of homeland security agencies' response to Hurricane Katrina.
In an interview with CNN's Larry King, which aired Tuesday night, Pelosi said that after learning about the $90,000 Jefferson stashed in his freezer, she stripped him of his Ways and Means seat. "What I said to my colleague is, you have $90,000 in your freezer, whatever the explanation, you have a problem with me," she told King. Pelosi then said she named Jefferson to the Homeland Security panel because it has jurisdiction over his storm-ravaged district and because the tax-writing panel deals with some of the business and financial issues involved in the allegations against him while the Homeland Security Committee does not.