May 24 2006
Hastert Stumbles and Bumbles
The Republicans have set up their circular firing squad and are firing away in an effort to look as imperialistic and bombastic as possible. Not to mention uniformed:
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) told President Bush yesterday that he is concerned the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) congressional office over the weekend was a direct violation of the Constitution.
Hastert raised concerns that the FBI’s unannounced seizure of congressional documents during a raid of Jefferson’s Rayburn office Saturday night violated the separation of powers between the two branches of government as they are defined by the Constitution.
Unannounced (emphasis mine)? They Congressional lawyers knew of the request for documents, made copies and then all of a sudden decided not to turn them over at the last minute. The FBI was forced to get a warrant – from a judge – and get the information the old fashioned way. So I don’t know who is misreporting this, but the facts are this was not unannounced.
So now we have Rep leaders in Congress defending a man who has been taking bribes for votes and influence. And their excuse is the other two branches of government cannot hold them accountable to our laws. That’s it for me. I could care less who wins in 2006 since many are power hungry and corrupt (I can think of a few exceptions, like Curt Weldon).
Ed Morrissey agrees. Here is my previous post on this insanity which recalls the Contract With America which stated Congress should be governed by the same laws as the rest of us.
AJ, you should ask Curt Weldon, my Congressman, why he opposes opening the US coast up to drilling. Able Danger aside, the view from ground zero is that he’s gone a bit crazy. I don’t trust any elected official who writes a book. Can’t it wait until after your retirement.
I agree, Hassert is an idiot.
Way to go, Republicans in Congress!…
In a year when Democrats are using the “culture of corruption” theme against Republicans, Republican leaders yesterday expressed outrage over the FBI’s ‘raid’ of Louisiana Democratic Rep. William Jefferson’s Congress…
That’s it for me. I could care less who wins in 2006 since many are power hungry and corrupt
I get that same feeling about twice a day, but then the thought of John Conyers as chairman of the (can you say 2 years of impeachment hearings?) House Judiciary Committee and Speaker Pelossi scares me back into reality.
I do think that Hastert’s rhetoric and actions (and not just on this search issue) call into question his intelligence (or lack of). I’ve just never had the impression that he was very bright. Even my own Republican Senator, Richard Lugar (a staunch Conservative), was one of 11 GOP Senators who voted to count employment time spent as an illegal alien toward SS benefits. That’s sort of like saying, if I rob a bank but pay taxes on the loot, I not only get to keep the rest, I also don’t get prosecuted. Nice work if you can find it.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see some substantial reallignment this fall, with a significant number of incumbents of both parties being forced to update their resumes. But I can’t think of a single thing that the Dems have done during the last 5 years that warrants returning them to power. I have many of the same problems with the GOP that you do, AJ, but on virtually every single issue that they’ve disappointed me, the Dems would be worse. National security is still my number one concern, and the Donks have displayed repeatedly that they have zero credibility on protecting this country. Also, I think there’s a good chance that Bush may have an opportunity to appoint one or two more conservative Supreme Court Justices during the next 2 years, resulting in a generation-long positive impact. Ain’t gonna happen with a Democrat Senate.
How hard would it have been for Al Gonzales to call Hastert and give him a heads-up that this raid was coming?
“Look, the FBI’s been investigating Congressman So-and-so. They have him on tape accepting a $100K bribe. They found $90K in his freezer. They think he moved some of the documents to his office, and we are going to serve a serach warrant. Please do not tell him.”
Jefferson may be a Democrat. He may even be corrupt as hell. But he is still a member of the House of Representatives, and Hastert, as Speaker of the House, does have an obligation to look out for the institution. That means asking, “What was up with that?” in a case like this.
The Imperial Congress…
Are these guys insane?
Resentment boiled among senior Republicans for a second day on Tuesday after a team of warrant-bearing agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation turned up at a closed House office building on Saturday evening, demanded entr…
We can’t just give it up, AJ, no matter how frustrated we are. The alternatives would be so much worse. The thought of the Democratic leadership in charge of Congress makes the failures (admittedly significant) of the Republicans look pollyannish!
Remember what Perot did for us–to my lasting personal shame for my vote. Never again!
I’ve lodged my protests with my representatives (including idiot Frist). Have you?
Byron York has an outstanding piece at NRO detailing why the raid was necessary and with what care it was conducted. Unless we treat Congress as a legal process free zone,the AG had little other choice here.
Retired Spook,
“That’s sort of like saying, if I rob a bank but pay taxes on the loot, I not only get to keep the rest, I also don’t get prosecuted. Nice work if you can find it.”
LOL! I am SOOOO going to use that! Eh hemmm…with your permission of course. Pretty please???
Carol
I think there might be something more going on. There must is a reason the Republicans are distancing themselves from the FBI raid and I believe it has to do with distancing themselves from any “collateral” information (political information) the FBI might have collected in their raid. They can’t make it look like a Republican controlled DoJ raided a Democratic congressman’s office and made off with all his political dirt. While I don’t believe for a second that the FBI did that, I wouldn’t put it past the Democrats to try to spin it that way so the Republicans are attempting to nip that in the bud by coming out this way.
That being said, the notion that a congressman is immune from prosecution when he is filmed taking cash and that certain of their belongings are immune from search is just pomposity in the extreme.
Dennis Hastert is my rep from Congress. The following is what I just e-mailed to him yesterday:
Dear Sir;
I would like to bring this to your attention from the NY Times:
“For all the intense partisanship that has surrounded the wave of
legal and ethical cases on Capitol Hill, the Jefferson case brought some Democrats and Republicans together on one point: that the all-night search conducted by the F.B.I. raised questions about whether the executive branch had violated the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers by carrying out a raid on the official office of a member of Congress.”
Mr. Hastert, a LEGAL warrant was served on a Member of Congress under investigation for “alleged” SERIOUS crimes! For some members of Congress to attempt to either obstruct this investigation (as was the case of the House Counsel refusing to cooperate) or to attempt to exempt members of Congress from due process of warrants is alarming. Congressmen cannot and should not be exempt from probable cause established for the JUDICIARY to serve a warrant.
I respectfully disagree with the notion that the Department of Justice
is somehow treading on the separation of powers in this case. Corruption of an important office must NEVER be overlooked or excused! Nor should it be dismissed as an “ethics” complaint. Mr. Jefferson is absolutely entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, but neither should he be given absolute amnesty from prosecution or investigation. His homes have already been searched, and his Congressional office should NOT be exempt from a legally served warrant. PERIOD!
Carol Johnson
Culture of Corruption – Part 2…
While much of the PUBLIC may not be mindful of the clause, I am sure the Judicial branch IS mindful of the clause, and still issued the warrant to search the offices of Congressman Jefferson. It seems the Judicial branch seems to think this clause ha…..
I just used the web form on his House website to send him a piece of my mind.
Congress as a whole has totally lost touch with reality…..
And I was just thinking that it couldn’t get worst, WRONG!
Yeah, I am begining to think it really is time for the center Dems and the center Reps to get together and make a new party (they can always split it again later). Leave the far left “progressives” and the far right “base” to drown in their own kool-aid for a while.
AJ, so you could care less about who wins in Nov. eh? Well, that is how many feel about the immigration mess. Please do your readers a favor, & compare this immigration bill the Senate will pass tomorrow with the ,86 immigration bill. You could do a great service by letting your readers know that the enforcement parts of this bill are the same as the ,86 bill & that if that one was never enforced,why do you think this one will be any different? I don’t understand why you are ready to give up over this, but are willing to buy into the immigration “reform” scam for the second time in twenty years.
It seems to me that all the reps closed ranks on this, even Newt Gingrinch got into the act. Of course it is the House Republicans who wanted to make illegal entry a felony so I figure that will win them some support from the people who are demanding we round em up and ship em out.
I do think it makes a difference so long as we are in a war and the Democrats are more interested in fighting Bush than they are AlQaida.
Granmarry:
You are beginning to sound like a fanatic. In fact is sounds as if you are not even willing to give reform or border enforcement a chance. In that case, why should anyone even try to debate the subject with you? What is the point?
Remember what Perot did for us–to my lasting personal shame for my vote. Never again!
You too, AZ? I’ve voted in every general election and all but one primary since 1966, and that vote in 1992 is the only one I’d like to take back.
LOL! I am SOOOO going to use that! Eh hemmm…with your permission of course. Pretty please???
I’m flattered, Carol. Be my guest.
but are willing to buy into the immigration “reform†scam for the second time in twenty years.
What’s the old saying, Granmary, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”?
Maybe only we retirees remember? Nah, can’t be!