Lawmakers up on Capitol Hill are screeching about an FBI search of Congressman William J. Jefferson's Washington offices as part of an FBI corruption investigation.
House Majority Leader Hastert told President Bush that the search was unconstitutional and was a violation of the separation of powers clause of the Constitution.
Huh??!
According to reports, the FBI had probable cause to believe that Congressman Jefferson had been hiding information from them in his Washington office after smuggling certain items out of his New Orleans home after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore. They got a valid search warrant from a judge in good standing and executed the warrant.
If Congressman Jefferson was using his office to hide stuff from the FBI, then the FBI had every right to search the office for those materials. Furthermore, that would make it a law enforcement matter, not an executive branch "invasion" of the legislative branch as the screeching Congressional leadership have been bellyaching about. The FBI's search warrant spelled out exactly what they were looking for, so other confidential records would not have been seized.
Do members of Congress really think they're above the law? If they do, then they ought to do the noble thing and RESIGN! They're the same as everyone else in all matters, including criminal law.
The Constitution does NOT excuse Congress from following the law.
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