Bush orders documents seized in Capitol Hill search sealed

[Nickster]

President Bush orders all material seized by the FBI from a Louisiana congressman's Capitol Hill office sealed for 45 days. Breaking on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/25/raid.on.congress.ap/index.html

President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a congressman's office be sealed for 45 days.

The president directed that no one involved in the investigation have access to the documents under seal and that they remain in the custody of the solicitor general.

Bush's move was described as an attempt to reach a cooling off period in a heated confrontation between his administration and leaders of the House and Senate.

"This period will provide both parties more time to resolve the issues in a way that ensures that materials relevant to the ongoing criminal investigation are made available to prosecutors in a manner that respects the interests of a coequal branch of government," Bush said.

[Virginia Dare]

1. F*ck, even the Chimp's getting involved..?

What in the fuck did they find in that house?

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[efhmc]

2. Why?

[FSogol]

4. To get it back into the news before the election? n/t

[Nickster]

5. They said that Dubya wants there to be a cooling off period in Congress.

Things were getting too heated. Or it could just be they need more time to shred.....

[Roland99]

9. Hmm...was Jefferson being framed and set up?

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

3. just when it looked like it couldn't get any bigger.....

they do something that looks even guiltier.

[pinto]

6. MSNBC reporter portrayed it as a concession to Rep. uproar

over FBI raid...Buying time to work out the "legalities".

Apparently the documents will be held at another agency, not the FBI, for 45 days.

Interestinger and interestinger.

[northzax]

7. I think the idea is

that if the courts decide it is a breach of separation of powers, then the investigation isn't contaminated by information that might be in the papers.

[lyonn]

21. Let's see, how many days have they had his files

and hard drive - 5 or 6? Surely that is enough time to make copies, sort through, etc. Should have been sealed much sooner to be believed that there is concern for the anger of congress.

[spuddonna]

8. Whoa! Wonder if they found something from when the Pugs were wooin' him!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1273682&mesg_id=1273682

Seriously, * actually gets involved? There's some serious skeletons in Jefferson's office that must lead to * & pals!

[Nickster]

10. Ain't that the truth. The fact that he responds quickly to something is

really really bad sign.

[spuddonna]

14. * who couldn't put down a guitar to attend to NOLA flooding...

... jumps into the midst of a FBI raid of a Dem's office? Because why - he's worried about 'separation of branch powers'?! Yeaaaah....

[Bozita]

11. How unusual is this? I've never heard of a single instance

[BOSSHOG]

12. rove needs time to figure out what to do next

For a master political strategist he spends a lot of time knee deep in shit of his making. bush should just declare that offices of republican congressmen are off limits to the FBI. If he were honest (chuckle, chuckle) that's what he would do.

[987654321]

13. King George!

What the hell is he doing getting personally involved in a FBI investigation like this? Does he actually have the right to over-take the investigation, because it appears he has? Maybe I'm just ignorant on the legal issues involved, but I would just like to know if there is a precedent in which the President of the United States personally takes over a criminal investigation.

[bobthedrummer]

15. The decider's form of fascism could become totalitarian soon n/t

[warrens]

16. The Bushies really stepped in it this time

The Justice Dept. is run by his good friend Alberto, who ordered this unconstitutional raid. Even the repukes won't stand for this power grab. So he backed down.

[seemslikeadream]

22. you may not know Gonzales

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

17. I wonder if there is anything from Jefferson's office that was connected

to the GOP.

[pdxmom]

18. Is this what they mean by "we will not comment on an on-going

criminal investigation?"

[Nickster]

19. LMAO. Really sad isn't it? n/t

[marions ghost]

20. GOSH

we're all having the same "antennae up" reaction to this news tidbit....'Say...uh...like, whuuut's up doc?'

:popcorn: and a :beer: and a :tinfoilhat: