House Speaker Dennis Hastert wants documents illegally seized from Rep. William Jefferson's office returned, citing that the raids where unconstitutional.
Though a valid point, and I do think this seizure opens up a "Pandora's Box" of political attacks and blackmail using the FBI, I think the speaker forgets exactly what administration he's dealing with. Though a valiant effort, he's complaining to an FBI director that is a Bush appointee, backed up by a Attorney General that doesn't enforce or back-up the Constitution, and a President who believes the Constitution is just a G-Damn piece of paper.
So in summary, nice soundbytes Senator, but a total waste of time.
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert demanded Wednesday that the FBI surrender documents it seized and remove agents involved in the weekend raid of Rep. William Jefferson's office, under what lawmakers of both parties said were unconstitutional circumstances.
"We think those materials ought to be returned," Hastert said, adding that the FBI agents involved "ought to be frozen out of that (case) just for the sake of the constitutional aspects of it."
The Saturday night search of Jefferson's office on Capitol Hill brought Democrats and Republicans together in rare election-year accord, with both parties protesting agency conduct they said violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine.
The standing argument is that the searches violate the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine. However, with a Congress that gives a blank check to the President in regards to the Constitution, and a Supreme Court who won't hold it up, Congress is now on the defense for a president willing to cross the line to go after their respective members.
What has happened, quite simply, is the passing of very wide-reaching post 9/11 laws added with the Patriot Act has opened the floodgate for potential abuses of the FBI and CIA policing powers.
The very abuses that the framers of this historic document tried to avoid are now commonplace and are running rampant.
I really have to wonder if the members in Congress will finally grow a set and put some "check and balances" on this president now that he is straying into their turf.
What's really sad is the fact it took the president violating Congress members rights before they decided to act.
Members of Congress could really care less about the right of common Joe Citizen. We "the people" aren't even a blimp on the radar most days.
Tags: [Hastert Demands FBI Return Documents], [House Speaker Dennis Hastert], [Rep. William Jefferson], [Patriot Act], [9/11], [FBI], [check and balances], [Capitol Hill], [unconstitutional circumstances], [Constitution's separation of powers doctrine]
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