WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., was removed Friday from his seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in a unanimous House vote on Capitol Hill.
Jefferson has been mired in a federal bribery probe for allegedly accepting cash in exchange for helping facilitate business ventures in Africa.
The House vote to oust Jefferson came one day after the Democratic Caucus voted to suspend him, apparently unmoved by Jefferson's assertion that the sanction was unfair. Other black lawmakers complained also, saying that Jefferson is the victim of a double standard.
House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told CNN that although she was sad about the vote, the caucus needed to uphold a high ethical standard.
The Ways and Means committee oversees tax legislation. Democrats say Jefferson can reclaim his seat on the committee if he solves his current legal problems.
