Senators Suddenly Singing a Different Tune

Senate Leaders Profess Less Outrage on FBI Raid
Unlike House Officials, Frist and Durbin Say They See No Breach of Constitution in Jefferson Inquiry

By Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 29, 2006; Page A04

After a week of bipartisan outrage over an FBI raid on a congressman's office, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist weighed in yesterday, saying that he was "okay" with the search and saw no constitutional problems with it.

"No House member, no senator, nobody in government should be above the law of the land, period," Frist said of the search of the office of William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who has been accused of bribery.

Frist (R-Tenn.) said on "Fox News Sunday" that he had studied the provision in the Constitution regarding the separation of powers, and consulted with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. He concluded that the FBI acted appropriately when it used a warrant to search the office of a sitting lawmaker for the first time in history.

"I don't think it abused separation of powers," Frist said. "I think there's allegations of criminal activity, and the American people need to have the law enforced."

Eight days ago, FBI agents angered many members of Congress when they took from Jefferson's office records and a computer as they investigate whether Jefferson illegally took money for brokering business deals in Africa. The raid threw Washington into tumult last week, inflaming congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, and reportedly prompting Gonzales and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to threaten to quit if the documents were returned.

Talk about going off "half-cocked." Frist's voice was one of the first to question the actions of the FBI after that Saturday night raid of Congressman William Jefferson's (D-LA) Congressional office. Is that the kind of behavior we should expect from the Majority Leader of the Senate? Frist's initial reaction was that he was "very concerned" over the incident and the Constitutionality of the raid.

I have been unimpressed by Frist for some time now and this just amplifies my doubts about his suitability for his ambition to be President.

Full Story: Frist's Flip-Flop

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