Yesterday, the U.S. House adopted a new standard for ethics investigations: an indictment warrants an automatic investigation.   We also learned that the House Ethics Committee is undertaking an investigation of the recently indicted Congressman from Louisiana, William Jefferson: 

Under pressure from Republicans, the House ethics committee announced Tuesday it would open an inquiry into the conduct of Representative William J. Jefferson, who relinquished his sole committee assignment in the wake of his indictment on corruption charges.

“Allegations such as these are extremely serious,” said Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Democrat of Ohio and chairwoman of the ethics panel. “It is always an issue of concern when a sitting elected official is charged with a crime.”

The committee sought to pre-empt Republican leaders, who later Tuesday forced a House vote on a resolution calling for the panel to investigate Mr. Jefferson’s conduct and recommend whether he should be expelled from the House. Democrats countered with a proposal that would require the ethics committee to automatically investigate any lawmaker under indictment or report within 30 days why it had chosen not to. Both proposals were approved overwhelmingly by the House.