Congress leaders denounce FBI office raid

[bamacre]

Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill accused the FBI on Tuesday of overstepping constitutional boundaries designed to protect Congress when it raided a Democratic lawmaker's office over the weekend.

The Justice Department's bribery investigation of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) has turned up $90,000 in his freezer and won guilty pleas from two associates, but Republicans and Democrats alike said investigators went too far when they ignored long-standing precedent and executed a search warrant on his office on Capitol Hill.

"I clearly have serious concerns about what happened and whether people at the Justice Department have looked at the Constitution lately," said House Majority Leader John Boehner.

"I've got to believe that at the end of the day it's going to end up across the street at the Supreme Court," the Ohio Republican added.

The House's No. 2 Democrat, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record), said it was another example of the Bush administration's disregard for limits on its power.

"No member is above the law, but the institution has a right to protect itself against the executive department going into our offices," Hoyer said.

He and others were careful to say the Justice Department should investigate wrongdoing by members of Congress.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Justice Department was discussing ways to resolve the concerns with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who criticized the raid on Monday.

Jefferson's colleagues did not criticize the FBI when it raided his homes in New Orleans and Washington last August, pursuing allegations he took bribes to promote a Kentucky company's Internet technology to West Africa.

But many said the raid on his Capitol Hill office violated the separation of powers as set out in the Constitution.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist expressed concern about the search and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott said his Rules Committee was looking into the situation.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything," Lott said. "We don't want a situation where the FBI just shows up at will and starts rummaging around here."

Haha, look who is complaining about authority overstepping rights.

I think it's all a bunch of bullshit. They just don't want to be the next one who gets caught. They are all a bunch of crooks anyway. I think that taking bribes by ANY federal government office holder should be considered treason, considering bribery of gov't officials goes against the very nature of what our government aught to stand for.

 

[lowfatbaconboy]

Yea I was noting the oddity of this earlier to some friends. I don't think they were over stepping their bounds considering he did do something illegal and they got a warrant for the search. Just because they are congress people they shouldn't be protected from criminal acts...democrat or republican.

 

[her209]

I hope these guys get voted out of office come this November.

 

[magomago]

The Justice Department's bribery investigation of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) has turned up $90,000 in his freezer and won guilty pleas from two associates, but Republicans and Democrats alike said investigators went too far when they ignored long-standing precedent and executed a search warrant on his office on Capitol Hill.

I agree the way it was done was improperly...but geez 90K in his refridgerator.....GET THESE PEOPLE OUT. DON'T VOTE FOR THEM.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: magomago

The Justice Department's bribery investigation of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) has turned up $90,000 in his freezer and won guilty pleas from two associates, but Republicans and Democrats alike said investigators went too far when they ignored long-standing precedent and executed a search warrant on his office on Capitol Hill.

I agree the way it was done was improperly...but geez 90K in his refridgerator.....GET THESE PEOPLE OUT. DON'T VOTE FOR THEM.

But geez trillions for a phoney war :thumbsup:

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: magomago

The Justice Department's bribery investigation of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) has turned up $90,000 in his freezer and won guilty pleas from two associates, but Republicans and Democrats alike said investigators went too far when they ignored long-standing precedent and executed a search warrant on his office on Capitol Hill.

I agree the way it was done was improperly...but geez 90K in his refridgerator.....GET THESE PEOPLE OUT. DON'T VOTE FOR THEM.

I don't see how that was improper in any way. Their investigation led them to believe that bribe money was in a specific location (in this case it happened to be in a congressman's office). They petitioned a judge for a search warrant that the judge granted based on evidence presented to him by the investigators.

The law doesn't end at the threshhold of a congressional office.

 

[blahblah99]

Originally posted by: bamacre
Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill accused the FBI on Tuesday of overstepping constitutional boundaries designed to protect Congress when it raided a Democratic lawmaker's office over the weekend.

The Justice Department's bribery investigation of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) has turned up $90,000 in his freezer and won guilty pleas from two associates, but Republicans and Democrats alike said investigators went too far when they ignored long-standing precedent and executed a search warrant on his office on Capitol Hill.

"I clearly have serious concerns about what happened and whether people at the Justice Department have looked at the Constitution lately," said House Majority Leader John Boehner.

"I've got to believe that at the end of the day it's going to end up across the street at the Supreme Court," the Ohio Republican added.

The House's No. 2 Democrat, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record), said it was another example of the Bush administration's disregard for limits on its power.

"No member is above the law, but the institution has a right to protect itself against the executive department going into our offices," Hoyer said.

He and others were careful to say the Justice Department should investigate wrongdoing by members of Congress.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the Justice Department was discussing ways to resolve the concerns with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who criticized the raid on Monday.

Jefferson's colleagues did not criticize the FBI when it raided his homes in New Orleans and Washington last August, pursuing allegations he took bribes to promote a Kentucky company's Internet technology to West Africa.

But many said the raid on his Capitol Hill office violated the separation of powers as set out in the Constitution.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist expressed concern about the search and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott said his Rules Committee was looking into the situation.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything," Lott said. "We don't want a situation where the FBI just shows up at will and starts rummaging around here."

Haha, look who is complaining about authority overstepping rights.

I think it's all a bunch of bullshit. They just don't want to be the next one who gets caught. They are all a bunch of crooks anyway. I think that taking bribes by ANY federal government office holder should be considered treason, considering bribery of gov't officials goes against the very nature of what our government aught to stand for.

So when are they going to raid the oval office?

 

[DaveSimmons]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
"I clearly have serious concerns about what happened and whether people at the Justice Department have looked at the Constitution lately," said House Majority Leader John Boehner.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist expressed concern about the search and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott said his Rules Committee was looking into the situation.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything," Lott said. "We don't want a situation where the FBI just shows up at will and starts rummaging around here."

The irony is delicious when Republican politicians start complaining about trampling on the Constitution, shortly after defending the Bush administration's latest bypassing of it.

It's OK to take away the rights of other citizens, but leave them alone?

 

[MadRat]

Hell, what's the difference between them accepting bribes versus them accepting PAC money in their campaign efforts? They don't spend the PAC, the money instead is used to setup sham campaigns against their competitors. The party leaders use this as a bully pulpit. Imagine that, the same ones pushing their bully pulpits are the same ones accepting illegal money. If I was acting like that I'd be in fear of the FBI, too.

 

[surreal1221]

And this is coming from the AG who doesn't know how his grandparents got here? Illegally or Legally? What a ****** tard.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Fvcking cry baby thieves stealing tax-payer money! REP or DEM, if they did their job, listened to their constituents, acted on their behalf, and passed real, meaningful legislation without all the pork, amendments, and "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" BS, they would have nothing to worry about.

 

[jlmadyson]

These guys are off their rocker that is all I have to say, craziness

 

[Specop 007]

Congressmen and other government officials are still people. They still have the same rights you and I do.

That said, they should have all the rights other individuals have.

But they should not be above the law beyond what the rest of us are either!

 

[Genx87]

Yup what are they so concerned about anyways?
The FBI is doing their job and they complain?

 

[Genx87]

I am curious what part of the constitution Hasert is talking about?

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
"I clearly have serious concerns about what happened and whether people at the Justice Department have looked at the Constitution lately," said House Majority Leader John Boehner.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist expressed concern about the search and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott said his Rules Committee was looking into the situation.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything," Lott said. "We don't want a situation where the FBI just shows up at will and starts rummaging around here."

The irony is delicious when Republican politicians start complaining about trampling on the Constitution, shortly after defending the Bush administration's latest bypassing of it.

It's OK to take away the rights of other citizens, but leave them alone?

gd serious, no one really cares the past half decade or so while citizen rights are being trampled but suddenly when it comes to themselves, they start to cry about it.

If anyone should be first in line to be checked, it should be those in power and those on the taxpayer dime. Everyone in congress should be impeached.

 

[Jaskalas]

If I am hearing this correctly, Congress is objecting to this because they are the law and should somehow be above it? Damn the whole lot of them!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

This isn't so cut and dried though. While I don't feel that Congress is above the law, the Executive branch seems to feel it can walk right into a Congressmans office since "they have the obligation to uphold the law..." blah blah blah. On the other hand these same people at the Justice Dept can't investigate the NSA. They havent the authority. In effect they are saying that the NSA is above the Congress on the food chain.

Also consider the uproar if armed Congressional police invaded the Oval Office because the White House failed to comply with a Congressional warrant. That is the reverse situation here.

While I have no doubt that the reaction is in some part self serving, it can also be seen as the Exectutive branch once again asserting both it's immunity to like treatment, and assuming that it's superior to the other branches of govt.

 

[SirStev0]

I am completly for getting rid of lowlife politicians regardless of their political stance...

There is a lot of shady things going on both sides of the fence... and they should be purged

 

[DickFnTracy]

Originally posted by: Genx87
I am curious what part of the constitution Hasert is talking about?

Here's an article that I think explains their objections and gives some decent case history:

WaPo

 

[DealMonkey]

Both the search warrant for Jefferson's office and the raid to execute it were unprecedented in the 219-year history of the Constitution.

Wow, never happened before. That speaks a lot to the sort of breach of etiquette this action caused.

The Speech and Debate Clause, contained in Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, says that members of the House and Senate "shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony, and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place."

But more specifically, it's the Speech and debate clause that shields Congress from the executive branch.

In a series of cases during the 1960s and '70s, the court drew a protective line around papers, speeches and activities that are "essential" to legislative acts or the motives behind them, such as floor statements or committee reports. But it declined to protect anything not closely connected to legislative work, such as remarks to the press or constituent newsletters.

And of course the judicial branch has to weigh in...