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 ...
Baseball bores me to death, but to think that the Congress has ANY business investigating steroid use in that game is insane. There is no such thing as a limited government any more.
"I specifically mentioned the warrantless wiretapping program..."
You mean the one that again tries to captures voice telephone calls between suspected al queada (sp?) members and foreign agents?
He sure did. "Incumbistan". What a great word.
It's the one that captures suspected terrorist calls to Americans.
Right incoming voice telephone calls from foreign countries to suspected possible known al queada members in the US? You're against that?
This behavior is reprehensible.
Oddly enough, to most of us on this thread - judging by most of the posts - it goes without saying that there's a balance of power stuggle, and the legislative branch is the one that weighed their side of the scale with illegal cash while threatening to lighten law enforcements side by cutting funding.
Have you developed a reading comprehension problem suddenly, marajade? I've said in 2-3 posts now that I support the program. Sheesh.
"Spying on the little guy, without a warrant, is okay."
I don't have a reading comprehension problem but maybe you would expand a little on this comment you made in an earlier post in this thread.
And the one you also made about innocent americans being targeted too.
If the roles were reversed, you can bet that Jefferson would already be crushing rocks at Leavenworth.
McCain doesn't like to be questioned or 2nd guessed
Which is why he had a few words on the Senate Floor when Sessions questioned and pointed out the problems with the McCain Bill
But ABC's bogus charge that Hastert is under investigation has been thoroughly debunked.
Personally, I think Hastert is being slimed in part, because of his vow to let the amnesty bill die in committee if a majority of Republicans oppose it.
If you really wonder why both Hastert and Pelosi (as well as a lot of other congressmen) were disturbed by this search, read the above text that someone posted from his web site, and consider that this is the first such search in 219 years.
That's because congress was never so collectively arrogant as to refuse to cooperate before.
There is nothing in Hastert's statement to indicate the siezure was anything BUT COnstitutional. He's full of it.
I've said 2-3 times I support the NSA programs. If you're missing the broader point, then I can't help you.
I've already seen letters to the editor in various newspapers complaining that Congress supports the warrantless wiretapping program, but they don't support their offices being searched even WITH a warrant.
So why don't you stop reading more into my posts than there is. It's making you look silly.
" ... were disturbed by this search, read the above text that someone posted from his web site, and consider that this is the first such search in 219 years."
So let Hastert be disturbed. They had a valid search warrant and it was executed. My feeling is "too bad."
IOW, Congress is above the laws it writes.
Sheesh, they are all crooks.
"If you're missing the broader point, then I can't help you."
You are the one making the charge that innocent americans are being "spied" upon.
And I'm the one who is looking "silly"?
Anyone can read my posts and understand my point. Well, most freepers can. I'll let my comments stand and you can just keep reading into them what you wish.
The Founding Fathers organized things they way they did for good reasons, and with a knowledge of human nature.
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.