Posted on 05/24/2006 1:00:39 PM PDT by Miss_Reagan
House Speaker Dennis Hastert demanded Wednesday that the FBI surrender documents it seized and remove agents involved in the weekend raid of Rep. William 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
Rush led with this story at the top of his show. Pelosi and Reid have been bashing the GOP over corruption in its ranks and now a Democrat gets busted for crimes and Hestert attacks the FBA and Bush for searching the accused office. You would think the House leadership would be out there bashing the Democrats and their corrupt politicians. Sometimes you wonder if the GOP does not have a death wish. I guess this is what happens when your in power for a long time.
Copy-and-paste is our friend.
AT BEST OF THE WEB, more criticism of Dennis Hastert's claim of special privileges for Congress:
Hastert and Boehner's objections are bound to rub many Republican constitutents the wrong way. After all, the first plank of the Contract With America was a promise to "require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress." Something like this makes it harder to argue that the GOP deserves to maintain its majority.
Indeed. ED MORRISSEY ON THE JEFFERSON INVESTIGATION and the lame response from the Congressional leadership: This whole "cut their pay and send them home" thing is sounding better and better . . .
So Hastert's got his knickers in a bunch over what the FBI did.
Calm down, missy.
For me it's not about getting an upper hand, rather, it's the fact he's trying to get congress declared off limits to law enforcement.
It reminds me of the terrorist in Iraq hiding in Mosques while using them as shelter for planning their attacks.
The constitution is clear that the executive branch can go after congresscritters when a felony has been committed. Unless Hastert is saying that the bribe was part of congress official business, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Maybe congress was conducting their own sting operation...but then that would be unconstitutional as they don't have executive branch powers...so either way Hastert is wrong.
Throw the bums out! But the only real way to do that is to get gerrymandering changed to make seats competitive.
Maybe the FBI should look into Hasterts business deals.
You really have a mouth on you don't you, Miss?
Clinton did, using the f.b.i. files, the I.r.s. to intimidate and who know what agency to kill all those folks.
A Speaker's staff should be willing to read e-mail from everywhere. But you might be right -- they might not.
Always better to call anyway. Always best to speak with a real person. It also allows you to react to whatever stupid thing they say in response.
Same with the RNC.
Interesting choice of words.
Amen! Save your time and just sit at home and enjoy the day. Make them work to earn my vote. It's my vote and I can choose to do what I wish with it. I'm not saying I have to agree with 100%, but a good majority of their views should represent my views in order for me to vote for them. It's time to go back to the silent (non-voting) majority.
You are 100% correct, not one of them defended Delay.
Thye are a bunch of spinless, stoneless, cowardly RINOS, who I'll bet are afraid of having the race card played against them.
I am not voting for another RINO, not next time, not ever.
Give me someone to vote for, don't tell me who to vote against. Republicans need to understand that they are not democrats and act like it for a change. I am sick of this kind of thing, they have let us down time and time again. Retire them!
There is no such thing as an honest DEM
and an honest RINO is hard to find as well.
Hence, A 3rd party protest vote is appearing more and more possible from me.
Sure! As soon as we've xeroxed them all in triplicate. :)
Hasert was also the Fat Idiot who stopped Mike Pence from doing some budget cuts.
I think Danny boy protests to much....maybe the FBI should get a court order to looky see in his office....might find alot more than $90,000.00
Still, Hastret's concerns are misplaced in this instance since the FBI obtained a lawful warrant from the JUDICIARY. Honestly, lets have this out in court. I am sick of congress trampling over separation of powers and then expecting the principle to apply to them.
Well said on both counts. I agree that Congress is not immune from the Law, but if Janet Reno had ordered the FBI to search Newt Gingrich's office we'd all be screaming -- with some reason -- that Hillary was using Gestapo tactics. A search warrant from a Clinton Judge would not have made much of a difference.
I suspect this will end up in front of SCOTUS at some point.
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