Democrat Rep. William “Bribe-Loc” Jefferson gets a reprieve
Hey, remember corruptocrat William Jefferson? Looks like he’s won something of a reprieve–albeit temporary. I’m sure there are other members of Congress breathing a sigh of relief, too. Just in from the Supreme Court, via SCOTUSblog:
The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear the Justice Department appeal seeking to restore the FBI’s full authority to search the offices of members of Congress under investigation for crime…
…The Court’s denial of review in U.S. v. Rayburn House Office Building Room 2113 (07-8160) left intact a ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court that gives members of the House and Senate some protection under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause against criminal searches — even with a warrant — of their legislative offices. The specific search at issue involved the office of Rep. William Jefferson, Louisiana Democrat, who has since been charged with bribery and other federal crimes. The Justice Department appeal argued that the Circuit Court’s decision would seriously hamper probes of corruption and criminal conduct by lawmakers.
WSJ has more details:
Last August, a Washington-based U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a court order barring prosecutors from using evidence gathered in the office raid. When the government asked the D.C. Circuit to reconsider the stay, it voted 5-4 to leave the restrictions in place.
“Its effect is to critically undermine the executive branch’s ability to investigate and prosecute corrupt activity in an affecting the legislative branch,” U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement said in the Bush Administration’s appeal. Mr. Clement urged the Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling. “Until it does so, investigations of corruption in the nation’s capital and elsewhere will be seriously and perhaps even fatally stymied.”
Rep. Jefferson, in a court brief, asked the high court to reject the appeal, arguing the raid followed inadequate procedures that “involved the compelled disclosure of legislative material to executive branch agents with no opportunity for the member to shield privileged material from view.”
A criminal trial in the bribery allegations against Rep. Jefferson was originally set to begin in February. The trial was delayed, however, while a federal appeals court considers whether grand jury testimony given by staffers against the congressman violated the U.S. Constitution.
Rep. Jefferson’s legal team has fought the bribery investigation and indictment by arguing the Speech and Debate Clause in the Constitution — which bars executive branch interference with legislative branch office functions — was violated during the FBI raid. Jefferson’s lawyers are citing the same section of the Constitution in fighting the grand jury testimony. Their arguments, however, were recently rejected by the federal judge presiding over the trial.
Oh, and by the way, where are the Democrats who will do and say the principled thing here. Hillary? Obama? Hello?:
Photoshop via Theodore’s World.
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Categories: William Jefferson
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So left me get this straight. If a lawmaker conducts any kind of illegal activity within the confines the federal buildings you can’t use the powers of the judicial system to go after them? My Gawd if John Gotti had only gotten elected his troubles would have been over.
What happened about a country being founded on the premise that nobody was above the law? So our Congress has carved out their own little class of royality. Isn’t this what inspired the French Revolution?
Oh, and by the way, where are the Democrats who will do and say the principled thing here. Hillary? Obama? Hello?:
I wonder, where are the Republicans? As I recall, Republicans were protesting against the FBI in favor of Willy Jefferson.
What hogwash and if we believe this….then it isn’t true that no person is above the law in this country.
Who is his angel? Who is keeping his bacon out of the fire? It is politically convenient for someone to keep this stalling going on, to what end? file under whose your daddy
Sheesh. No one is even denying that he’s guilty. It’s only a question
of whether or not he’s going to get away with it. A decent man caught
with his hand in the cookie jar would have stepped down years ago.
But then, Democrats have no shame.
Ahh, grunt, just remember, according to the Pelosicator, we now have the most ethical congress ever. Just think what it would be like if it wasn’t …
Jefferson is just one of the privileged class of elected officials. The corruption knows no party bounds, sadly, and I believe is more wide-spread than we all think.
It’s fanciful to believe that republicans are more virtuous than the liberals, which at least in principle is true, but more often than not, when faced with making laws, too often they are seduced by big business and fail the individual worker.
Jefferson should be booted, but I’d imagine that once they start digging into these kinds of shenanigans they won’t be able to stop. The bar has been lowered so far we’re all paying the price.
Wow, Just WOW! What is the point of having laws now? He is caught red handed and now he will get protection?
WOW.
I suppose it is okay as long as he didn’t kill anyone.
Oh, wait…
Amazing how he flaunts the law with one hand and then uses it to get off the hook with the other hand. What an SOB.
I guess crime pays if you’re a congressman.
Agreed, zorro.
Who needs bribeloc when you are a Democratic crapweasel? (redundant, I know
)
Just show your Dem card and you are free to pass Go and collect your
hard earned cashbribe.Sounds like a one way street here.
They claim the Executive Branch with warrant approval from the Judicial Branch is interfering with the Legislative Branch.
But they all seem comfortable with the Legislative Branch telling the Judicial Branch (FISA Court) to interfere in a major way with the Article II powers of the Executive Branch.
So….Congressional corruption is illegal….as is investigating it.
Uh-huh.
Hope and change,it is time to vote ALL incumbents out.
Just to let you know, not ALL Californians are stupid – most of them, maybe, but at least the DHimmicraps did the right thing in this case.
When it comes to law and order, Congress believes it’s for us, not for them. So typical of Washington culture.
Wright must have him on his prayer list.
I want my country back. . .where’s the shame anymore?
This is just plain wrong.
Who bought the justices?
Yeah, I just accused them all of being bought. But they can’t investigate me, because I’m in my office. Right?
Let’s face it, SCOTUS has historincally been loathe to thread in areas such as this. The action, while on an emotional level is disappointing, is not surprising.
Folks, y’all should have learned by now – Jefferson is going to walk on this, keep getting elected by folks who believe that he is ‘owed’ this because he is black.
This is how democraps rule, get used to it.
There just may be a bright side here, folks.
Would any of you want to be in the Democrat leadership this fall for the next round of coongressional elections?
The SCOTUS may have just handed us a really big issue to use. In the past, Repubs didn’t quite behave this way. We usually kicked out our own if they did something this stupid. Then Nan comes along and proclaims the most ethical congress in history, but wait….She is going to have a hard time spinning this, as long as our side has the guts to use it.
At least I can hope….
Caught red-handed isn’t good enough for Democraps – they will blame the redness on freezer burn.
Duke Cunningham was unavailable for comment
Term Limits would help, at least they would each have less time to do damage.
Ok, so you can’t go into a Congressmans office even with a warrant…
But all the Emails and documents, including those of the Presidents private lawyer, are fair game?
Sooooo, the Halls and offices of Congre$$ are now considered a ‘Holy of Holies’ shrine that only the High Priests can enter.
What an evil person it is who hides behind the cloak of Justice… with a bloody dagger in one hand and a middle finger extended with the other.
Because, as we all know, bribery and corruption are everyday “legislative branch office functions”. Reversing the decision would have a serious and suppressive impact on free speech initiatives expressed as bribes and kickbacks.
I believe John Murtha is having a Sub-Zero freezer installed in his office even as we speak. It’s the loophole he’s been looking for ever since the FBI video…
If this moron were a republican, he would have been Duke Cunninghams (R) cell-mate for a couple years now.
Request to MM: equal time or Don Young.
kinda scary to think if the FBI had a blank check to go into all the offices and see what’s going on.. after all, ‘The MOST ethical Congres.. EVER’ should have nothing to hid..
Also, as public servants, one would hope that they have everything above the table.. after all, being on the public teat and all.. (mumbles.) ought to be a law…
In other news, the sale of small office freezers have gone up in the Washington DC area.. about 530 have been sold already..
LGM..
isn’t Vitter and Craig republicans? and I am pretty sure I saw their names on here.. but that wasn’t on YOUR terms.. so I digress..
Nothing like seeing the “Cleanest House in history” in action eh?
Well, why not just try the corrupt Congresscritter (an oxymoron if ever there was) based on taking the bribes? Drop the requirement for evidence found in the Critter’s Office for later.
Put him in jail (someplace nice a peaceful like Attica) then try him for corruption after the SCOTUS makes their decision.
Just one more sign our country is falling apart at the seams. We are a nation of laws, not enforcement.
He’s just one of the many corrupt, elitist, walking piles of manure.
Doesn’t surprise me. And, he will be voted back into office by his constituents, once again. Congress will welcome him, not censor him. This is the “ethics” today, in a democrat government.
What happens in Congress, stays in Congress. Visit your guy (gal) today.
Bring money for a good time.