Seeing double (standards)

Here is a post from TPM Muckraker (part of the Talking Points Memo site) outlining the behind-the-scenes grumbling among Democrats over what has been a rather less-than-stellar transition back to the majority. In this case, the Congressional Black Caucus (correctly) questions the apparent decision to allow Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia to keep his seat on the House Appropriations Committee even though he is under investigation by the FBI.

members of the all-Democrat Congressional Black Caucus are said to be grumbling that the party’s leadership is exhibiting a double standard by letting Mollohan,who’s under FBI investigation, keep his seat on the Approps committee (where he’ll likely control the Justice Dept. budget) after forcing a CBC member, Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-LA), to step down from another powerful committee for facing a similar federal investigation.

Under scrutiny for bribery allegations, Jefferson got a sharp elbow from now-Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to leave his seat on the House Ways and Means committee.

Let’s just say that this looks bad and undercuts the speaker’s stated commitment to clean up the House.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet