Who Else Is Dirty?
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.),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. But why is he so concearned. As a matter of fact why are so many in congress upset?
Republican objections are independent of any facts in the corruption probe against Jefferson. Their complaints pertain solely to constitutional questions about the raid itself.
The issue is not clear-cut for both parties. Republicans have repeatedly cited the Jefferson probe as an example of Democratic malfeasance in the face of charges about their own “culture of corruption.” On the Democratic side of the aisle, the investigation itself undermines the effectiveness of their efforts to tar Republicans with the corruption issue.
Is this the real reason they are upset. At the possibility of being publicly exposed on a raid by the FBI. Instead of worring about who and how their fellow members in congress are betraying their constituants. The concern is on the investigation and seizure of office documents over a weekend.
The Jefferson raid is the most recent flare-up between Congress and the White House. In a statement distributed Monday night, Hastert made it clear that he was not given a heads-up about the FBI’s raid on Jefferson’s office.
In the Speaker’s lengthy statement, Hastert complained that the seizure of legislative papers, no matter how innocuous, was a violation of the “the principles of Separation of Powers, the independence of the Legislative Branch, and the protections afforded by the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution.”
Now this is what bothers the most out of me. See the arrogance being demonstrated by Hastert. He is upset at the seizure of papers, papers that may be evidance in an investigation to wrong doing by an elected official. Claiming this is a violation of the seperations between Legislature and Executive powers. How is the execution of a search warrent a violation? Oh wait is it because it was issued against an elected official and instead of kowtowing to political correctness it was executed and turned up evidance in the hollowed halls of Congress?
Democrats were supportive of Hastert’s criticism and appear to support the Speaker in pursuing further action.
“No member of Congress is above the law,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters yesterday. “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.”
Hoyer said he agrees with Hastert’s concerns and was less than defensive of Jefferson.
“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,’” Hoyer said.
So the real issue again is that elected officials are thinking that the are above the law by hiding behind the debate clause. In their minds anything in their offices are exempt from search then. So hide all your bribe monies and paper trails in your offices because unless you are forwarned. This just stinks to high heaven. The precedent that they want to set is absurd. If congress has to be warned and alerted that their illegal activities are being investigated then all investigations have to go public and all who are breaking the law have to be warned before the police can begin to look into their activities.
Think about this. What Hastert and his fellow cronies on both sides of the isle are saying is that we are above the law. Pure and simple arrogance and why it is so important to clean house of all these bums. We as the citizens in this country are the true power and ruling authority of this nation. No man is above the law or below it. All are equal in justice. If elected officials are allowed to abuse thier offices and hide under a clause that is getting fuzzier by the minute then we are no longer a republic or a democracy.
What else are they hiding and trying to cover up? In what other ways have they sold this country and its citizens out. What are they afraid of? More charges of bribery and espinoge perhaps.
Republican objections are independent of any facts in the corruption probe against Jefferson. Their complaints pertain solely to constitutional questions about the raid itself.
The issue is not clear-cut for both parties. Republicans have repeatedly cited the Jefferson probe as an example of Democratic malfeasance in the face of charges about their own “culture of corruption.” On the Democratic side of the aisle, the investigation itself undermines the effectiveness of their efforts to tar Republicans with the corruption issue.
Is this the real reason they are upset. At the possibility of being publicly exposed on a raid by the FBI. Instead of worring about who and how their fellow members in congress are betraying their constituants. The concern is on the investigation and seizure of office documents over a weekend.
The Jefferson raid is the most recent flare-up between Congress and the White House. In a statement distributed Monday night, Hastert made it clear that he was not given a heads-up about the FBI’s raid on Jefferson’s office.
In the Speaker’s lengthy statement, Hastert complained that the seizure of legislative papers, no matter how innocuous, was a violation of the “the principles of Separation of Powers, the independence of the Legislative Branch, and the protections afforded by the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution.”
Now this is what bothers the most out of me. See the arrogance being demonstrated by Hastert. He is upset at the seizure of papers, papers that may be evidance in an investigation to wrong doing by an elected official. Claiming this is a violation of the seperations between Legislature and Executive powers. How is the execution of a search warrent a violation? Oh wait is it because it was issued against an elected official and instead of kowtowing to political correctness it was executed and turned up evidance in the hollowed halls of Congress?
Democrats were supportive of Hastert’s criticism and appear to support the Speaker in pursuing further action.
“No member of Congress is above the law,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters yesterday. “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.”
Hoyer said he agrees with Hastert’s concerns and was less than defensive of Jefferson.
“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,’” Hoyer said.
So the real issue again is that elected officials are thinking that the are above the law by hiding behind the debate clause. In their minds anything in their offices are exempt from search then. So hide all your bribe monies and paper trails in your offices because unless you are forwarned. This just stinks to high heaven. The precedent that they want to set is absurd. If congress has to be warned and alerted that their illegal activities are being investigated then all investigations have to go public and all who are breaking the law have to be warned before the police can begin to look into their activities.
Think about this. What Hastert and his fellow cronies on both sides of the isle are saying is that we are above the law. Pure and simple arrogance and why it is so important to clean house of all these bums. We as the citizens in this country are the true power and ruling authority of this nation. No man is above the law or below it. All are equal in justice. If elected officials are allowed to abuse thier offices and hide under a clause that is getting fuzzier by the minute then we are no longer a republic or a democracy.
What else are they hiding and trying to cover up? In what other ways have they sold this country and its citizens out. What are they afraid of? More charges of bribery and espinoge perhaps.
