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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Hastert tells Bush FBI raid was unconstitutional

The Federal Bureau of Investigation raids a congressman’s office—William Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana—finds copious proof of corruption, law-breaking, and skylarkings innumerable. Can his co-workers condemn the crime? No, no. The FBI raid is the scandal here, not the bribery. And what bi-partisan denunciation! Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, Republican of Illinois, is calling the raid unconstitutional.

The short-sightedness of those congressmen denouncing the search is disturbing. It is becoming entirely clear that what should happen is the FBI should raid every congressional office for no reason in particular but that, when you’ve got an entire industry whose employees seem to have just admitted to having worked under the presumption that the law doesn’t apply to them, those people are likely to have done something illegal. Congressmen really can do their jobs without breaking a single law. It’s possible. Preferable, even!

OH: And here is a just lovely, shapely, quote from House Minority Whip Stevy Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland. He is also offended by the raid: “No member of Congress is above the law [but] I am concerned about the unprecedented exercising of authority over a separate branch of government and the execution of a search warrant without any communication with the leadership of this House. The institution has a right to protect itself against the executive branch going into our offices and violating what is the Speech and Debate Clause that essentially says, ‘That’s none of your business, executive branch’”

Sort of like the journalism shield being read so that treason is perfectly acceptable.

Posted on May 24, 2006 08:17 AM. Permalink