Bush orders FBI-Congress documents sealed

AP ^ | 25 may 2005 | LAURIE KELLMAN

[gwb43_2004]

WASHINGTON - President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a congressman's office be sealed for 45 days.

The president directed that no one involved in the investigation have access to the documents under seal and that they remain in the custody of the solicitor general.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

C'mon relax a bit before you convulse into knee jerk mode.

[Retain Mike]

The reaction of Congress to the FBI executing a search warrant on William Jefferson is appalling and frightening. The search warrant was issued by a member of the judicial branch, so obviously there was no violation of the separation of powers. Congress displayed an arrogant, imperious attitude, which should have remained an historical characteristic of the 1934 Reichstag.

[popsmoke]

After almost 10 years reading comments on this site I’m still stupid…but I honestly can’t figure this out…can somebody help me? How can the Executive Branch order the Judicial Branch what to do with evidence they collect on the Legislative Branch?
Do I understand this correctly?

[traviskicks]

Don't give up yet - support these folks put prinicpled folks in Washington:
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/why.php

[traviskicks]

Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[nonliberal]

Isn't this called "Obstruction of Justice?" Nixon resigned over less than this.

[LibertarianInExile]

What you said BTTT!

[Cementjungle]

I do wonder about the President stepping into this. It looks bad.

Maybe it was Clinton moles in the FBI that wanted to get these documents before the good guys could get them. Maybe GWB is trying to find someone trustworthy in Justice to take over.

On the other hand, maybe he just screwed up.

[AFreeBird]

"Those who violate the law — including a member of Congress — should and will be held to account.

Unless of course you've illegally entered our country from mexico, then we didn't see nuthin and we won't hold you accountable, and we'll give all sorts of bennies, including SS.

[NCSteve]

I guess Bush and the Republicans figured they hadn't alienated nearly enough of their core constiuency by acting in an elitist fashion on the immigration issue. Jefferson was manna from Heaven. He is an arrogant, liberal, black Democrat caught red-handed taking bribes. The GOP could have thrown off the whole "culture of corruption" sloganeering effort by Democrats, but they chose appeasement and weakness instead.

If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would almost suspect Bush and the GOP leadership of being double agents. Instead, I'll just stick with what I know to be the truth: one party, two factions.

[bpjam]

Bush could just order the documents be put in the White House residence hall closet and nobody would find them for at least three years. (Hey, it worked for Hillarys billing records from the Rose Law Firm)

[bpjam]

Its called a Subpeona. Both the Executive AND Judicial branches of government agreed that the Legislative branch needed to turn over documents involved in a FELONY investigation. Congress will lose this as badly as Bill Clinton did when he tried to create a new constitutional protection for the Secret Service.

The FBI tried for weeks to get Congress to enforce the subpeona but they refused. So the FBI went to a Federal Judge and got the warrant to get it themselves. Congress could have avoided all this by doing it themselves. Only the Kennedy's are above the law - black congressman aren't.