Posted on 05/24/2006 12:06:22 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Democrats sought to get embattled Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) to resign his seat on the House's most prestigious committee.
"In the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus, I am writing to request your immediate resignation from the Ways and Means Committee," wrote House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi in the one-sentence correspondence.
The Louisiana Democrat was defiant.
"With respect, I decline to do so," he wrote back to Pelosi."I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain, long-term political strategy."
Earlier, House Speaker Dennis Hastert demanded that the FBI surrender documents it seized and remove agents involved in the weekend raid of Jefferson's office, under what lawmakers of both parties said were unconstitutional circumstances.
"We think those materials ought to be returned," Hastert said, adding that the FBI agents involved "ought to be frozen out of that (case) just for the sake of the constitutional aspects of it."
The Saturday night search of Jefferson's office on Capitol Hill brought Democrats and Republicans together in rare election-year accord, with both parties protesting agency conduct they said violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine.
Support from a majority of the House would be required to strip Jefferson of his seat on the panel. It was not immediately clear whether such a vote has been planned, according to knowlegable officials of both parties who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Jefferson, meanwhile, on Wednesday filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan to order the FBI to return all of the documents taken from his office during the 15-hour search. Hogan was the judge who last Thursday issued the warrant authorizing the search.
The congressman also asked that FBI and Justice Department attorneys be prohibited from reviewing the documents and that they be locked up until the judge acts on the motion.
Jefferson's motion said the search violated "speech and debate" protections in the Constitution to insure the independence of lawmakers.
Presidential administrations and the Congress have routinely subpoenaed information from each other, and often they have refuse to cede the materials sought.
This is the first time the branch seeking the information dispatched its law enforcement arm to wrest information from the office of a sitting congressman who is the target of a probe.
Republicans, meanwhile, were being careful to protest the raid without defending Jefferson, in an increasingly tense relationship with the White House over its use of executive power.
A day earlier, Hastert, R-Ill., complained personally to President Bush about raid. Other House officials have predicted that the case would bring all three branches together at the Supreme Court for a constitutional showdown.
In April, Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., personally told Bush that "the president doesn't have a blank check" during a discussion of Bush's domestic wiretapping program.
Hastert kept up the drumbeat after the FBI's raid of Jefferson's office.
"My opinion is that they took the wrong path," Hastert said after meeting with Bush in the White House. "They need to back up, and we need to go from there."
The developments are the beginning of what lawmakers predict will be a long dispute over the FBI's search of Jefferson's office last weekend. Historians say it was the first raid of a representative's quarters in Congress' 219 years.
FBI agents searched Jefferson's office in pursuit of evidence in a bribery investigation. The search warrant, signed by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan, was based on an affidavit that said agents found $90,000 in cash wrapped and stashed in the freezer of Jefferson's home.
White House officials said they did not learn of the search until after it happened. They pledged to work with the Justice Department to soothe lawmakers.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying, "We have a great deal of respect for the Congress as a coequal branch of government." But he also defended the search: "We have an obligation to the American people to pursue the evidence where it exists."
Justice Department officials said the decision to search Jefferson's office was made in part because he refused to comply with a subpoena for documents last summer. Jefferson reported the subpoena to the House on Sept. 15, 2005.
Where's that picture of Nancy with the whip?
Big Loser Bump.
(((( Gets the popcorn ))))
Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Hassert et al should shut up.
Earlier today
Nancy Pelosi Has Asked Rep. William Jeffereson to quit the Ways and Means Committee. (Breaking!)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1637559/posts
Tupperware and aluminum foil bump!
"With respect, I decline to do so," he wrote back to Pelosi."I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain, long-term political strategy."
William Jefferson is an excellent Democrat, and a fine representative of New Orleans. I wonder if he's related to William Jefferson Clinton.
Forget the whip. I want to see Nancy [and Boxer, Clinton and Thomas] down on the ground kicking and screaming, having the fits that become them so...
ROTFLMAO....
May 24, 2006
Congressman William J. Jefferson
2113 Rayburn House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Jefferson:
In the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus, I am writing to request your immediate resignation from the Ways and Means Committee.
Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Leader Pelosi:
I have received your letter of this date requesting my immediate resignation from the Ways and Means Committee. With respect, I decline to do so.
Through my committee position and since this federal investigation became public, I have secured over $20 billion in tax credits and federal funds for my district after Hurricane Katrina. I authored the GO ZONE Act, the Katrina Public Finance Act, and the Katrina Tax Relief Act, along with my colleague Jim McCrery, which all resulted in massive tax relief for families, seniors, government agencies and businesses in the hurricane-affected region. All of these matters fall within the jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee. Additionally, my committee covers trade, which is important the Port of New Orleans. My work on the committee has been important to our port's recovery after the storm.
None of the matters reported to be under scrutiny involve issues under jurisdiction of the Ways and Means committee. Therefore, such a request would be even more perplexing and unreasonable. If I agreed, it would unfairly punish the people of the 2nd district and I will not stand for that.
Further, such a request would be discriminatory, in as much as no other Member currently under federal investigation has been asked to step down from a substantive, legislative committee assignment. It would also be unprecedented, in as much as I have served with Members who have been indicted, tried and won their cases, and who were never asked to step aside from their committee assignments during those processes. Therefore, I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain political strategy.
Sincerely,
William J. Jefferson
Member of Congress
Of course, he refuses to quit.
He has Republicans defending him now.
I've called Frist and Hastert's office and not so politely told them this:
Do you think if Jefferson were a Republican, congressional Democrats would be so outspoken about FBI methods?
This is a great example of why many base conservatives are so disillusioned with Republicans these days. Let the Democrats have their scandals and don't assist in their defense of them. What is so difficult to understand about that?
Throw this nit in JAIL!
My copy of the Constitution of the United States doesn't say a thing about exempting these 'grave robbers' from the laws of search and seizure. The bobbleheaded republicans ought to shut up, sit down and color.
Bwahhahaha!
Thanks , I just linked this up to your earlier thread.
Time FoR a Thread chain.. :-D
IMHO, Hastert did the right thing in many ways. For one it insures this will remain in the headlines for some time yet to come.....secondly it really was a Constitutional violation...and this makes the Pubbies look even better that they're concerned.
Talk about your Party of Stupidity (not to be confused with the Party of Idiocy, embodied by Denny Hastert).
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