Denny & Nan, not passing the smell test...

Congressman Jefferson from Louisiana is a criminal in a big way. The FBI has him on tape accepting $100,000 dollars as a bribe. They later found $90,000 of it rolled up in foil, hidden in his freezer. They have this guy dead to rights. Following the law regarding any citizen accused or suspected of such crimes, the FBI asked for and received a warrant to search his congressional House office...exactly the procedure they would use to gather evidence against you or me.

Why then do you suppose the unlikely duo of San-Fran-Nan Pelosi -- (D) House Minority Leader, and Dennis Hastert -- (R) House Speaker, joined forces to indignantly denounce this constitutional transgression regarding the separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches?

Why are they immune to the basic rule of law to which all Americans are subject? How can it be construed to be a constitutional powers issue when there is criminal activity afoot? If that were the case, was it not a constitutional powers issue when the Senate (Legislative branch) committee held Watergate hearings concerning presidental (Executive branch) acts?

To the average American, for congressmen to claim what amounts to diplomatic immunity from criminal investigation as a right of office, comes across as beyond ludicrous. For the FBI to observe legislative privilege would mean, preposterously, that a member of Congress could commit cold-blooded murder, stash the body in his/her office, and cite constitutional separation of powers to prevent law enforcement from searching for the body.

Hastert and Pelosi point to the separations clause as protection from the Executive branch gaining access to private legislative matters. I agree with that interpretation of the separations clause...and it is a valuable one. Obviously you cannot have a President executing searches of the offices of legislators to find out what they're up to, but last time I checked, accepting bribes wasn't part of a congressional legislators job...you can stop laughing now.

Maybe I'm wrong, and correct me if you know otherwise, but is the FBI not under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary rather then the Executive branch?

The arrogance on display from both party leaders is breathtaking. It makes one wonder what Denny and Nan have to hide.