Jefferson Steps Down From House Committee

A day after being indicted on bribery and racketeering charges, Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, has decided to step down temporarily from his lone House committee assignment, his Capitol Hill office said Tuesday. Jefferson's decision to abandon the Small Business Committee came as fellow Democrats were preparing to meet to decide whether to eject him from the panel and Republicans are pushing for his resignation from Congress. A spokeswoman for Jefferson said it would be a "temporary leave" not a resignation from the panel.