The FBI - Congress feud (NSA, Jefferson raid, campaign finance, what's up?

[ProSense]

The FBI - Congress feud

Posted 2:10 pm | Printer Friendly

The FBI has probably never had to spend quite this much time on Capitol Hill, investigating lawmakers and dealing with congressional counsel. The tensions between Congress as an institution and FBI officials went from bad to worse over the weekend when, for the first time in American history, FBI agents raided a lawmaker's office (Rep. William Jefferson) as part of a criminal probe. The leadership of both parties has been throwing fits ever since.

But as it turns out, the feud can get worse still. Roll Call reported today that the FBI also wants to start asking lawmakers questions about leaks.
The FBI is seeking interviews with top House Members from both parties to determine whether they leaked details of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program to The New York Times, further fanning the flames of an already tense relationship between Capitol Hill and the Bush administration.

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Complicating matters, The Hill noted today that in the past year and a half, the FBI has "reassigned nearly 200 agents to the problem of public corruption, bringing to 600 the total number of agents working on public-integrity cases," many of which deal exclusively with alleged wrongdoing on the part of members of Congress.

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This could get ugly.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/7513.html

From the second link in the article:

May 25, 2006

FBI beefs up staff to probe pols

By Alexander Bolton

Federal law-enforcement officials say they witnessed a dramatic jump in campaign-finance and other election-related crimes in the 2004 presidential election year and are determined to beef up their policing of candidates running for federal and local office around the country this year.

Illegal fundraising schemes appear to have grown in number and sophistication as candidates have needed to raise more and more money to be competitive. Several members of Congress have recently found themselves caught up in fundraising controversies.

In the past year and a half, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reassigned nearly 200 agents to the problem of public corruption, bringing to 600 the total number of agents working on public-integrity cases.

While the Justice Department’s increased focus on public corruption has been talked about in Washington, the FBI’s elevation of such crimes among its priorities is less known. Even less noticed has been the FBI’s new focus on violations of election law, which for years law-enforcement officials considered minor crimes, lawyers specializing in the field said.

more...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. A glimpse at how my mind works:

If you wanted to weaken congress and assume near-dictatorial powers, wouldn't this be a great way to do it?

[ProSense]

2. Does anyone else get the feeling that this is the

ultimate show that the Republicans are not in lockstep with Bush. Frankly, I don't trust Hastert and this is a little too convenient!

Either that or something backfired:

Hastert denies involvement in corruption scandal

By Holly Yeager in Washington
Wed May 24, 9:05 PM ET

Dennis Hastert, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Wednesday night denied he was under investigation by the FBI as part of its ongoing corruption probe of Congress.

ABC News - citing unnamed justice department sources - on Wednesday said information allegedly implicating Mr Hastert was developed from lobbyists who have already pleaded guilty and are co-operating with the government.

Following the report, the a spokesman for Mr Hastert issued a statement calling for the retraction of the story,

"The ABC News report is absolutely untrue. As confirmed by the Justice Department, 'Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department," the statement said.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ft/20060525/bs_ft/fto052420062123450486

[Supersedeas]

3. they will claim that Bush had to back down when he never intended much

in the first place...but, ain't it funny how it was Dem documents that were ceased...wonder what Denny and Delay have to hide???