Thursday, June 1, 2006
Nancy Pelosi Yields to Black Caucus on William Jefferson
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has dropped her demand that Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., resign from the powerful House Way & Means Committee - in exchange for a promise from the Congressional Black Caucus that they won't campaign against her in advance of this fall's critical mid-term elections.
According to a Roll Call report this week, Pelosi struck a deal with the Black Caucus in a closed door meeting last Friday to "hold off taking any pre-indictment action against Jefferson" as long as the group refrains from attacking her.
Pelosi had ordered Jefferson to step down last week after he was caught hiding $90,000 in alleged bribe money in his freezer, saying his resignation would be "in the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus."
But Black Caucus leaders complained she was overreaching - and threatened to launch a public campaign against her that would jeopardize Democrat chances for retaking the House this November.
"I think she's taking us down to the point where on Nov. 8 she'll still be the Minority Leader," an aide to a CBC member told Roll Call last week.
Describing the new political cease fire, one Caucus aide told the paper that the truce between Pelosi and the CBC boiled down to - "We won't escalate this any further if you don't escalate it any further."
"Whatever was said during the meeting, they're in a holding pattern now," another aide said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has dropped her demand that Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., resign from the powerful House Way & Means Committee - in exchange for a promise from the Congressional Black Caucus that they won't campaign against her in advance of this fall's critical mid-term elections.
According to a Roll Call report this week, Pelosi struck a deal with the Black Caucus in a closed door meeting last Friday to "hold off taking any pre-indictment action against Jefferson" as long as the group refrains from attacking her.
Pelosi had ordered Jefferson to step down last week after he was caught hiding $90,000 in alleged bribe money in his freezer, saying his resignation would be "in the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus."
But Black Caucus leaders complained she was overreaching - and threatened to launch a public campaign against her that would jeopardize Democrat chances for retaking the House this November.
"I think she's taking us down to the point where on Nov. 8 she'll still be the Minority Leader," an aide to a CBC member told Roll Call last week.
Describing the new political cease fire, one Caucus aide told the paper that the truce between Pelosi and the CBC boiled down to - "We won't escalate this any further if you don't escalate it any further."
"Whatever was said during the meeting, they're in a holding pattern now," another aide said.
