Since the decision of the
Speaker of the House, John William McCormack, was to ask the high
chamber member Adam Clayton Powell Jr. not to take an oath, because of
the previous scandal in which Powell had been involved; If
the jury had decided in favor of Speaker McCormack, the way of operating
in the congress would have been questioned, since only one member could
be expelled according to what the constitution says, and not by the
decisions of the speaker. The scope would have been very
large if it failed in McCormack's favor, giving a sense of illegality or
favoritism, and voters would feel that their representatives were not
respected.
