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 ...
I'm a supporter of the NSA programs. However, there is absolutely no guarantee that innocent Americans haven't been spied on. None.
Without court (FISA) oversight, we have only NSA's guarantee. There could easily be an innocent American in contact with a Muslim abroad and warrantless wiretapping going on.
What I don't get is why Republicans in Congress don't understand how absolutely hypocritical this makes them look.
Get a grip!! Yeah, they are listening to Aunt Blabby telling little Sally about her cornbread recipe! Get real.
The fact that William Jefferson (Democrat, Louisiana) was working his shady deal with Nigeria brings two words to my mind:
yellow cake.
Agree completely, apparently our Congress Critters are in a panic that we might want to examine their influence peddling too closely. This could get ugly.
Link not bringing up the story. Heard on another thread that Gonzalez threatened to resign. Finally, a vertebrate!!
You have a problem with reading comprehension?
Until William Jefferson, D-LA, no Congressman was caught on tape taking a bribe.
Ha, ha, ha...congress cut funding. That's a good one. Not a one in congress knows how to do that.
Throw all of them out and start over (I know we'll get rid of the 3-5 that are worth keeping, but I'll take that trade).
Yes, I have read/heard this, but only in passing, not as the headline.
Was ignoring the subpeona a calculated risk on Jefferson's part? Did he really think that as a Black Caucus member he could get away with that? Did he have any reassurances from his leadership? Or was it just his interpretation of Congressional immunity?
How deep does this go, I wonder?
Abscan and other scandals were investigated and searches conducted but Congressmen cooperated once they knew there was a subpoena.
Jefferson refused to cooperate.
Yes, congress is declaring itself to be above the law, while meddling in things which are not their affair.
Is this a bloodless coup? The second phase of Clinton's hopes to create a Soviet utopia here? Maybe it's a lack of enough caffeine, but this is making me bit nervous.
Fox website is messed up.
Your spied on everyday! From your web search engine, to your boss at work, to the red light cameras, to the TSA at the airport that suspects everyone is a terrorist....unless they wear a turban or have Mohammad in their name. Welcome to 1984....22 years late.
What's the deal with Hastert? Why is he so animated about this? What personal stake does he have in this? Any rumors that he's involved? Or any of his colleagues?
Exactly. Eschelon. Carnivore. Cameras. Employer web site tracking. It's a looong list.
Things that make you go "Hmmmmmm"....
The same stuff that's been going on in Washington since FDR turned the country sharply to the left. It's been going on to a much greater extent since the flunkie anti-Vietnam commies got in positions of power.
This will be interesting, and I hope that a great number of politicians get taken down. Hopefully, mostly on the left, but if they are crooked, they need to be taken down regardless of party.
Now I'll go one better: DoJ will withhold PROTECTION of their sorry skins if congress withholds FUNDING.
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