NYT: For Dems, Scandal of Their Own (but FBI search disturbs both parties)

[DeepModem Mom]

For Democrats, a Scandal of Their Own
By CARL HULSE
Published: May 23, 2006

WASHINGTON, May 22 — Democrats' plans to make Republican corruption a theme of their election strategy this year have been complicated by accusations of wrongdoing in their own ranks, leading the party to try on Monday to blunt the political effects of the unfolding case against Representative William J. Jefferson.

Democratic leaders sought to distance the party from Mr. Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat who has been accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. In doing that, the leaders tried to draw a distinction between the accusations against him and what they said was a much broader pattern among Republicans of trading legislative influence for campaign donations, trips and other perks....

***

For all the intense partisanship that has surrounded the wave of legal and ethical cases on Capitol Hill, the Jefferson case brought some Democrats and Republicans together on one point: that the all-night search conducted by the F.B.I. raised questions about whether the executive branch had violated the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers by carrying out a raid on the official office of a member of Congress.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said Monday that he had concerns about the constitutionality of the search and was seeking a legal opinion. Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the minority leader in the House, said that "Justice Department investigations must be conducted in accordance with constitutional protections and historical precedent." Some House Republicans said they were also disturbed by the way the search was handled....

***

The constitutional question aside, some Democrats acknowledged that the headline-grabbing case involving a colleague they know as Jeff had the potential to dilute one of their core political arguments against the Republican majorities in the House and Senate....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/washington/23dems.html

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Ha

He got caught by sting operation.

So all better be alert for ROMANS bearing gifts.

[IndyJones]

2. They don't like that the Administration is violating separation of powers?

Too bad, so sad. Welcome to what Joe Taxpayer is griping about.

I'm sure Gonzalez gave them some certificate of approval. It's all in the name of national security and it probably falls under the Patriot Act, so I'm sure it's all good.:sarcasm: