Last night we all heard that the House Democrats had voted to remove Rep. William Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and means Committee. However, that is not the case. The media may present it that way, but are forced to acknowledge the truth once they get into the heart of the story.

Democrats voted last night to strip Rep. William J. Jefferson (La.) of a plum committee assignment while he is embroiled in a federal bribery investigation.

The 99 to 58 vote followed weeks of public and private wrangling, as Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) sought to take a strong election-year stance on ethics, while Jefferson's allies -- mainly fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus -- protested that he was being singled out for unfair treatment.

Jefferson left immediately after voting and said he would spend the evening considering his next move.

"I'm just going to go to my office," Jefferson said. "I'm just going to wait and see."

Now it sounds like the Democrat Caucus has actually done something about corruption in their midst. But surprise, surprise -- look at the next paragraph.

If he refuses to step aside from the Ways and Means Committee, as urged by the Democratic Caucus, the next step would be a vote on the House floor to remove him from the prestigious committee. Even his allies want to avoid that.

Hold on just one minute. I thought they had stripped Jefferson of the committee assignment. But this clearly indicates that they have done no such thing. Instead, the Democrat Caucus has voted to ASK Jefferson, pretty please with sugar, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, to quit the committee. Jefferson can refuse -- and then it goes to a vote of the whole House, not just the Democrats. It would require the cooperation of the GOP to remove jefferson.

And I hope that they refuse to go along with this attempt by Pelosi & Co. to cover their asses. The Republican leadership should refuse to act on the measure until such time as the House Democrats get their act in order and write some rules that deal with disqualification of members from committee assignements. After all, Rep. Alan Mollohan left the Ethics Committee under a cloud -- but still remains on the even more powerful Appropriations Committee, a position which he has been accused of using to enrich himself and business associates. What standards are the Democrats using to determine which members will be forced off of committees, and which will be permitted to stay? Also, which committees do the Democrats consider exempt from ethical scrutiny, and which require removal?

UPDATE: Well, the full House removed Jefferson from Ways & Means. Shows how much influence I have.