Mr. President, Let Justice Prevail! Unleash Gonzales.

Bush Seals Files Seized In FBI Probe Of Jefferson

By Dan Eggen and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, May 26, 2006; Page A01

President Bush ordered the Justice Department yesterday to seal records seized from the Capitol Hill office of a Democratic congressman, representing a remarkable intervention by the nation's chief executive into an ongoing criminal probe of alleged corruption.

The order was aimed at quelling an escalating constitutional confrontation between the Justice Department and the House, where Republican and Democratic leaders have demanded that the FBI return documents and copies of computer files seized from the office of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.).

In a six-paragraph statement, Bush cast the dispute in historic terms and said he issued the order to give Justice Department officials and lawmakers more time to negotiate a compromise. "Our government has not faced such a dilemma in more than two centuries," Bush said. "Yet after days of discussions, it is clear these differences will require more time to be worked out."

The order capped five days of tumultuous negotiations involving the White House, the Justice Department and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who denounced the Saturday-night raid as an infringement on the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches and had joined Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in demanding that the seized documents be returned.

Bush hoped to mollify Hastert, one of his most reliable legislative allies, at a time of increasingly sour relations with the GOP-controlled Congress, according to White House sources. Tempers rose so high this week that some House Republicans threatened to seek the resignation of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, although GOP leaders said the idea was not seriously considered.

The agreement also marked a setback for the FBI and Justice Department, which had refused demands to return the materials -- and had resisted pressure from the White House to cordon them off, according to several officials familiar with the debate.

Bush signaled in his statement, however, that he expected the documents to eventually be made available to prosecutors. "Those who violate the law -- including a Member of Congress -- should and will be held to account," Bush said. "This investigation will go forward, and justice will be served."

I hope the President doesn't backdown in the face of Congressional criticism. Every American citizen is subject to having their houses and offices invaded and searched by warrant bearing FBI agents. Members of Congress, as trustees for the American people, should be held to a higher, not lower standard. If home invasion by warrant toting members of the DEA or Justice Department is good enough for the average American, it is good enough for members of Congress.

It is alarming in the extreme for members of Congress to believe that they are somehow better than or more important than the people for whom they work. The intensity of the reaction to this warranted search leads me wonder what other members of Congress are hiding. This 45 day cooling off period provides plenty of time for those members to collect and dispose of any papers likely to implicate them in any untoward activities in which they might be involved.

What Gonzales did was right. Allow him to do his job.

Full Story: Cry Havoc! and Let Loose the Dogs of Justice

What do you think?

To leave your opinion click on the word "COMMENT(S)" below