Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Threats Followed FBI Search of Congressman's Office
AP via Fox News ^ | Saturday, May 27, 2006 | Fox News

Posted on 05/28/2006 6:35:29 AM PDT by MNJohnnie

WASHINGTON — The constitutional showdown that followed the FBI's search of a congressman's office came down to this: The House threatened budgetary retaliation against the Justice Department. Justice officials raised the prospect of resigning.

That scenario, as described Saturday by a senior administration official, set the stage for President Bush's intervention into the fight over the FBI's search of the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., an eight-term lawmaker being investigated on bribery allegations.

During contentious conversations between the Department of Justice and the House, top law enforcement officials indicated that they'd rather quit than return documents FBI agents, armed with a warrant, seized in an overnight search of Jefferson's office, the administration official said.

Until last Saturday night, no such warrant had ever been used to search a lawmaker's office in the 219-year history of the Congress. FBI agents carted away records in their pursuit of evidence that Jefferson accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for helping set up business deals in Africa.

After the raid, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill, lodged a protest directly with Bush, demanding that the FBI return the materials. Bush struck a compromise Thursday, ordering that the documents be sealed for 45 days until congressional leaders and the Justice Department agree on what to do with them.

(Story continues below)

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 109th; bastert; corruption; criminalcongress; dogandponyshow; govwatch; hastert; williamjefferson
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 181-200201-220221-240 ... 361-375 next last
To: Suzy Quzy
Why would you consider a person "schizoid" because they decline to waive their constitutionally guaranteed rights?
201 posted on 05/28/2006 9:09:53 AM PDT by Founding Father (I'm building a fence near Palominas, Az. along with my "vigilante" friends.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 175 | View Replies]

To: Dog
It is simple - 90% of them are on the take and they all have dirt on each other. They all need to be sent to the big house for 10-30 years. Which they will not do quietly. None of them have any idea of the stakes or the historical moment, or they would realize that is the merciful outcome.
202 posted on 05/28/2006 9:10:35 AM PDT by JasonC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: acsrp38
The King has no business in the House of the people. Unless invited in.

Can you point me to the section of the US Constitution whereby "the people" have exempted Congressfolks from the Supreme Law of the Land?

203 posted on 05/28/2006 9:11:24 AM PDT by jwalsh07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 172 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Brightside
According to Hastert, a congressman may sell his vote to whoever he pleases for any sum he desires.
204 posted on 05/28/2006 9:11:25 AM PDT by JasonC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: marajade
And I'm saying that if known suspected terrorists' numbers dialed from American soil are not investigated, the program has no value at all.

In the case of a misdial, a warrant can be easily issued based on the presumption that the number was dialed deliberately. If that presumption can not be made, then any dialing of a known suspected terrorist must be presumed to be misdialed.

You can't have it one way and not the other.

205 posted on 05/28/2006 9:12:02 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 177 | View Replies]

To: acsrp38
The house of the people is my house. The House of Representatives is not the house of the people, it is a den of thieves.
206 posted on 05/28/2006 9:12:37 AM PDT by JasonC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 172 | View Replies]

To: edmond246

See post 150 and thanks to the poster who posted it.


207 posted on 05/28/2006 9:13:20 AM PDT by marajade (Yes, I'm a SW freak!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 199 | View Replies]

To: William Terrell

"And I'm saying that if known suspected terrorists' numbers dialed from American soil are not investigated, the program has no value at all."

They are. So is it now your argument that warrants shouldn't be applicable to those dialed from American soil?


208 posted on 05/28/2006 9:14:47 AM PDT by marajade (Yes, I'm a SW freak!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 205 | View Replies]

To: AndyJackson
To me, it's as clear as the nose on your face. I just don't get the support for Hasert on this.

This is not Elian Gonzales or Waco or Ruby Ridge.

This is Law and Order. But, I'm a simple man.

209 posted on 05/28/2006 9:15:12 AM PDT by don-o
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 197 | View Replies]

To: marajade
How by having their voice telephone conversations taped because they are receiving incoming calls from known terrorists residing in another country?

No, by misdialing a number of a known suspected terrorist number, or someone whose number is recorded as having called a known suspected terrorist number.

210 posted on 05/28/2006 9:15:55 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 195 | View Replies]

To: William Terrell

"No, by misdialing a number of a known suspected terrorist number, or someone whose number is recorded as having called a known suspected terrorist number."

You are terribly confused by the whole thingy. In the case quoted by you above, a warrant initiated by the executive branch and approved by the judicial branch would be required in order for it to happen.


211 posted on 05/28/2006 9:17:34 AM PDT by marajade (Yes, I'm a SW freak!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 210 | View Replies]

To: cake_crumb

Not to rain on your conspiracy, but Africa is a pretty big continent, with many MANY people.

Your alleged reasoning is akin to Michael Moore positing a cozy relationship between Bush and the Taliban because some members of the latter visited private businesses in Texas while he was governor.


212 posted on 05/28/2006 9:18:21 AM PDT by Xenalyte (Anything is possible when you don't understand how anything happens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 105 | View Replies]

To: justche
supenoa=subpoena (I never get that one right)

sub (under) poena (penalty / punishment).

My spelling has gone to absolute hell; but I can still spell a few words

213 posted on 05/28/2006 9:19:02 AM PDT by don-o
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies]

To: Balding_Eagle

Noooooooo BE...not on your LIFE! I would not betray the veterans in my family or my country by giving in or giving up.

Just experiencing some momentary sorrow..it'll pass and I'll suck it up:)


214 posted on 05/28/2006 9:22:34 AM PDT by SE Mom (God Bless those who serve.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 169 | View Replies]

To: marajade
You're gravely underestimating the use of electronic equipment if you think some civil servant is hugely involved in the process.

Actually, I'd be just as afraid if all this were turned over to a computer program. Then, we would have to worry about bugs in the program. But, at some point information has to be presented to a human evaluation and action.

You seem terribly upset with the notion that human beings in bureaucratic jobs make mistakes from incompetence, or deliberately in bad faith, and computer programs can have bugs (do you use Windows?).

215 posted on 05/28/2006 9:22:45 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 198 | View Replies]

To: Founding Father
The republicans are just as morally bankrupt as the dems

No they're not. Not by a million miles.
When did you arrive on our planet?

216 posted on 05/28/2006 9:26:25 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 158 | View Replies]

To: William Terrell

Good points all. Add to your cogent observations that once abusive power comes into the hands of those now out of power, we get the sort of never fixed abuse such as an unelected individual (hitlery clintoon) taking possession of FBI files on more than a thousand 'people of interest' to the political operative. [BTW, as you may know, bill clinton's administration under Reno had the FBI waste their valuable time 'looking into my life' rather than chasing down Islamofascist terrorists, just because I'm outspoken on the abortion issue.]


217 posted on 05/28/2006 9:26:32 AM PDT by MHGinTN (If you can read this, you've had life support from someone. Promote life support for others.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 190 | View Replies]

To: SE Mom
This scenario is ugly, and frightening in the implications..what is GOING ON in Washington?

A good ole boy system, otherwise known as a criminal enterprise. They put on a show in front of cameras and act like enemies toward each other, while laughing all the way to the bank once the cameras stop rolling. The voting public has either been apathetic or fooled this entire time.

218 posted on 05/28/2006 9:26:33 AM PDT by Sir Gawain
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SE Mom

I keep thinking of an analysis I read about the prophesy in Daniel and the feet of clay, that the clay was democracy mixed with empire and that's where we are now. The inmates (clay) have started running the asylum and the world is turned upside down.


219 posted on 05/28/2006 9:29:51 AM PDT by Mercat (He's everywhere you are.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: marajade
They are. So is it now your argument that warrants shouldn't be applicable to those dialed from American soil?

"They are"? You previously said that only numbers from outside the country were trapped.

I'm saying that warrants can easily be issued by mistake using the presumption of a deliberately dialed number when that was not the case.

Then you have investigation of an innocent American.

220 posted on 05/28/2006 9:31:08 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 208 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 181-200201-220221-240 ... 361-375 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson