Earlier today I wrote that Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) was going to be indicted today.

Well, it’s happened. And it’s even more damning than I previously thought and explains why it has taken so long for the investigation to result in this indictment:

WASHINGTON – Louisiana congressman William Jefferson received more than $500,000 in bribes and sought millions more in nearly a dozen separate schemes to enrich himself by using his office to broker business deals in Africa, according to a federal indictment Monday.

The charges came almost two years after investigators raided Jefferson’s home in Washington and found $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer.

The indictment lists 16 counts, including racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 235 years.

A commenter at the left-leaning The Carpetbagger Report thinks Pelosi should act immediately and swiftly:

It’s Monday afternoon. Pelosi should give him 48 hours to resign and get the F*** out of Washington, while simultaneously having the Ethics Committee begin expulsion procedures. If he’s still there when the sun comes up on Thursday, then open the day’s session with a call to vote him out, and end the day by having the word “Vacancy” painted on his office door. I’ll pay for a nice can of bright yellow paint to do the job with, too!

I agree.

Much more reaction at Memeorandum.