So remember back in May, when FBI agents searched Rep. William Jefferson's office in connection with a bribery investigation? An uproar ensued from Members of Congress, who objected to the search on all sorts of grounds? And then President Bush got into the fray and declared the seized documents to be off limits to investigators while Congressional leaders and Department of Justice officials tried to reach an accord. The cooling-off period was for 45 days, which ended on Sunday. However, since the Congressional objections have still not been resolved, the documents are remaining unavailable.
This AP article has all the latest details of the arguments from both Congressional lawyers (and Jefferson's defense) and the DOJ.
I like this tie-in to the Abramoff scandal:
While federal agents had never searched a congressional office before entering Jefferson's, some lawmakers fear the FBI could return to Capitol Hill for searches growing out of the broad corruption investigation linked to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
In the Jefferson case, government lawyers have objected to providing advance notification to the target of the search or his agents and to allowing him access to the scene while the search is taking place.
Lawmakers have said they should have the ability to review documents before deciding whether they can be seized in a search. Justice Department lawyers said members of Congress do not warrant such special treatment.
Remember those FBI agents who searched the Congressional office of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)? Remember the uproar that ensued from Congressional leaders of their rights and separation of powers?
I admit that I was skeptical of their argument at the time, but this news puts it in a new light. Snarky post title aside, if this reported FBI behavior is true, then Members may be well within their rights to claim that the whole search was mishandled.
FBI agents who raided the office of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) last month threatened to pick the lock on the door after the acting U.S. Capitol Police chief asked them to hold off until a congressional lawyer showed up, according to a document filed in U.S. District Court.
The DOJ's response?
A Justice Department official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said last night that the suggestion that "a target of a criminal investigation be informed before a search takes place is a nonstarter. That clearly places a congressman above the law."
This is turning out to be quite the developing story. We'll keep you posted on the latest back-and-forth between the Justice Department and Congress.
More and more information is coming out about the FBI's investigation of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). The latest is a dissection of the various companies and corporations Jefferson set up under family members' names in order to receive and transmit illegal payments. The Washington Post reports:
As court records, sworn affidavits, plea agreements and search warrants attest, it was quite a deal, one of several involving at least seven business entities, nearly a dozen family members and hundreds of thousands of dollars sloshing through bank accounts, all for Jefferson's personal benefit.
An FBI raid on Jefferson's congressional office last month triggered a constitutional showdown between the White House and congressional leaders from both parties over separation of powers. But as that controversy subsides, the focus has shifted back to Jefferson and the corporate labyrinth that federal authorities say he erected to secretly receive illegal payments for promoting high-tech ventures in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.
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