Jefferson Resigns From His Last Committee Seat, Ethics Announcement Expected Soon

Indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has resigned -- temporarily, he says -- his last remaining committee assignment, a seat on the Small Business Committee. Jefferson sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) this morning informing her on his decision, Democratic aides said. ThinkProgress has some more on this move as well.

Democrats are also expecting the House ethics committee to announce that it is beginning an investigation into Jefferson's case, said the leadership aides. Pelosi will first have to select 10 Democrats for an "ethics pool," something Republicans have already done. Then a 4-member investigative subcommittee on Jefferson can be created -- one Democrat and one Republican from the ethics committee itself, and then one Democrat and one Republican from the ethics pool. The investigative subcommittee would review the 16-count federal indictment handed down by the Alexandria, Va., grand jury on Monday and then report back whether Jefferson should be expelled.