The Congressional Black Caucus wants Jefferson’s seat restored

From The Hill:

The Congressional Black Caucus is planning to press Democratic leaders to reinstate Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) to the Ways and Means Committee, raising the thorny question of how leaders will handle the fate of Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), who has also come under ethical scrutiny.

If incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and fellow leaders decide to keep Jefferson off Ways and Means, they could open themselves to charges of following a double standard by allowing Mollohan to become chairman of an Appropriations subcommittee, as he is now poised to do.

The House voted in June to strip Jefferson of his Ways and Means seat, an action precipitated by Pelosi, who wanted to distance her party from the scandal that had enveloped Jefferson after the FBI raided his home and found $90,000 in his freezer.

The renewed debate over Jefferson’s fate could also spark controversy over what happens to Mollohan. A conservative watchdog group has accused the lawmaker of using his senior position on the spending subcommittee to benefit his friends and himself financially.